


An Unjust Society (cancelled)

by Darksun2134



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Metaverse (Persona 5), Alternate Universe - No Personas (Persona Series), F/M, Persona 5 Royal Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 67,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23784346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darksun2134/pseuds/Darksun2134
Summary: A Persona 5 AU story - No metaverse, no persona, no phantom thievery.You know the story of Persona 5. What if there are no personas to help rid Japan of rotten adults?Akira will need some friends to help him traverse this unjust society.Cancelled - No further chapters will be added.
Comments: 134
Kudos: 169





	1. Prologue

Akira Kurusu was looking forward to his day off from school. He had been at school studying later than usual so he was desperate to get home, wanting to get away from the cold winter snap. It was getting dark, so he decided to traverse through the well-lit street that led him to his house. He did not need the reassurance though – he was well aware that not much ever happened in the small suburb he resided in.

That was until he turned a corner and he heard an altercation. Wanting to hear more, he decided to carry on walking while listening in.

“Let go of me!” a woman shrieked.

“Just get in the car!” a rough voice sent chills down Akira’s spine.

Akira froze. Why wasn’t anyone helping? He knew that people tended to keep to themselves, but this woman was in obvious need of help. He had to do something. The man saw him.

“What do you want? This isn’t a show!” the obviously drunk man roared.

“I’ll call the police, please let me go!” Akira realised that the woman was obviously shaken, she looked like she was about to cry.

“The police are my bitches; they won’t do anything!”

_What?_

This statement threw Akira off guard; however he couldn’t contain the urge to help, so he pulled the shoulder of the man to get him away from the terrified woman. To Akira’s surprise the man started to stumble and fell into the pavement. The man’s next words would haunt him for a very long time and cause his whole life to change.

“Damn brat I’ll sue!” His words had an acidic edge to them which left Akira in no doubt that he was serious about what he would do. Before the man’s words could settle in his mind, he heard the wailing of police sirens.

_Someone must have called the police. Phew._

To his surprise, the woman stated to the police that it was in fact Akira who assaulted the man unprovoked.

“Excuse me? I was only trying to help-”

Akira felt cold metal being placed around his wrists. Was he really getting arrested when he went to help that woman? The ride to the station felt like an eternity; thoughts of this kind raced around his head until he was placed into a cell.

He was lost in thought until he heard familiar voices beckoning to him.

“Akira! Why did you do this?” a tearful woman cried through cloudy eyes.

 _Shit._ He hated disappointing his mother, the one he loved most _._

A rougher voice followed.

“You idiot! You think we can afford to be sued? Why didn’t you stay out of it, it was none of your business!”

Akira remembered the ride home, with the date of his trial hanging over his head. No matter how many times he played the upcoming situation in his head, he always came to the same conclusion. He did not have a good feeling about this.

**Thursday, March 31 st, 2016**

The day had finally arrived. Akira was extremely nervous; the time seemed to move extremely fast, despite the fact he was no longer on speaking terms with many people, he hardly got to speak to his parents since he got moved to juvenile hall.

He was worried what was going to happen to him, he didn’t want to go back there.

**_Guilty._ **

His heart sunk. What will he do now? The thought of a criminal record weighed down on him, who will believe his story? What about his prospects?

“You will be on probation for a year starting from April 9th. You will be under the guardianship of Sojiro Sakura. You will attend Shujin Academy, which is located in Aoyama-Itchome. Behave for a year and you will be able to return. Case dismissed.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Moving to a new place, he was not used to busy areas. His mind also wandered to Sojiro Sakura. Who was he? He had heard stories about people on probation being abused and only being taken up for the money. He left the case with his head held down.

**Saturday, April 9 th, 2016**

The day had arrived. He was escorted to the train station, given directions to meet with Sojiro Sakura in Yongen-Jaya, and told to get on the next train. He was worried about how all this would turn out.


	2. Probation Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira Kurusu has started his probation. He follows the directions he has been given and starts his new life as a 'criminal'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Found a spelling mistake for the title of this chapter - that is now fixed.

_The weather is such a pain!_

_Hey! You are in my way!_

_Oops, sorry!_

**Saturday, April 9 th, 2016**

The train was busy. Akira was stuck holding onto the handrail. Sighing, he knew it was going to take him a while to acclimate to his new surroundings, much less having to deal with hordes of people, something he didn’t have to deal with back home. He was heading to Shibuya, a place he heard was busy but wasn’t exactly expecting it to be this busy.

**_Damn brat, I’ll sue!_ **

Those words, stuck in his head, brutally reminded him of the situation he was in. He kept wondering where he would be if he didn’t help that woman. Maybe he could have went into the arcade with his friends after school, catch a movie or said one last goodbye to his old friends.

His mind drifted to what was ahead of him. Who was Sojiro? Would he sympathise with his situation? How would school be? He hoped that it wouldn’t be too harsh, he heard Shujin was a tough prep school with the vast majority going into further education in some of the country’s biggest colleges. While his grades weren’t bad, they were certainly nothing special. Would everyone at school know about his record? Would he be able to make any friends?

His thoughts were interrupted by the loud intercom.

_The train is arriving at Shibuya. The train is arriving at Shibuya._

Remembering where he was, Akira exited the train to be met with a vast train station. The scent of freshly made bread hung in the air as he tried to make his way through the station. There were signs all around, pointing to various lines and even an underground mall. He decided he eventually wanted to visit the mall, but only once he got used to the congestion that a train station in Shibuya could only bring. As he tried to find his way to Yongen-Jaya his eye was caught by magazines advertising various part time jobs.

_I don’t have much money; will I even be able to get a part time job with my record?_

After half an hour of searching, he managed to find his way to the platform that would take him to Yongen-Jaya. This train wasn’t as busy, which meant Akira could actually grab a seat on the train and look at the cityscape. It was about 3pm, but all he wanted to do was sleep.

As he got off the train and walked out of the station, he noticed it was quiet and that the soft evening hues actually made the narrow streets and small businesses feel welcoming. As he was walking down the long main road, he noticed a friendly looking elderly man who looked to be in the owner of a second-hand shop.

“Excuse me, would you happen to know a Sojiro Sakura by any chance?” Akira inquired.

“He is usually in his café at this time, keep walking and take the first right” the man said with a welcoming smile.

Akira followed the directions and found a café named Leblanc. As he opened the door he was met with a sigh of resignation from who he assumed would be his guardian for his year of probation.

“Oh yeah, this was today.”

He was sat on a stool, reading a newspaper. He stood up, and Akira was surprised by how tall he was.

“So, this is the delinquent I have taken in? I must admit I wasn’t expecting you to look that. Either way, follow me upstairs.”

Before Akira could even answer, Sojiro had started to walk up the stairs.

“This is your room.”

Akira was surprised. It was a mess. While the room was big it looked like it was a storage room. He realised that as a ‘criminal’ he didn’t really expert to have those liberties.

“I will lock up after every evening, don’t touch or steal anything. I won’t hesitate to kick you out and hand you over to the police. Your future is forfeit if you don’t get through this probation.”

Akira looked down, trying to hide the scowl that had crawled across his face. Why am I resigned to a café attic? There was a box in the middle of the room.

“Your stuff recently arrived. If I were you, I would spend this time to try and tidy up. Also, let me get this right, you got into the middle of an altercation between a man and a woman and you assaulted the man?”

“I- “Akira was cut off by Sojiro.

“That is what you get for sticking your nose into an adult matter. You are aware of how to get to Shujin right?”

Akira grimaced as the thought of starting a new school crossed his mind. He really didn’t want to think about this, but it was unavoidable.

“I have looked at the train lines, I should be fine.” Akira muttered.

“Tch, tomorrow we will be going to Shujin to sort out the paperwork regarding your move. You should be grateful; I’ve decided I’ll drive you there but only for tomorrow.”

“Thanks.” Akira said reluctantly

“I am not closing up yet. Let me know if you need anything.”

As Sojiro went back to brewing coffee, Akira surveyed the room. It was akin to a dump; to one corner there was a large pile of household materials. Even a bike. He decided to ignore that and clean up a desk which was full of books. He decided to put one he thought he may be interested in his school bag to read on the train and on breaks.

_Arsène Lupin - Gentleman-Burglar._

After his run in with less than favourable cops, his idea of justice was distorted. Why should he be the one to suffer? He did the right thing.

After cleaning out the desk _,_ he decided he would try and dust off the room. While doing this he heard someone run up the stairs.

“What are you doing?! I heard some noise an- wait. Are you cleaning? Sorry I’ll leave you to it, I thought you were breaking things.”

Akira watched Sojiro walk down the stairs with a puzzled look on his face. He still wasn’t prepared for the labelling that he would have to take, and he winced as he realised it would probably be at it’s worse when he gets into school.

He looked at his phone. It was already 8pm. He took off his Shujin Academy uniform and changed into more casual clothes.

_At least he gave me some sheets for my bed._

It was difficult for Akira to get any sleep that night, his thoughts alternating between the past and the future. Will he hear from his parents? Will I make any friends?

Before long, he dozed off.

**Sunday, April 10 th, 2016**

**Leblanc (Early Morning)**

Akira woke up to the monotonous ringing of his alarm. Feeling groggy, he pulled himself from his bed and put on his glasses. His hair was frizzy and a mess, but that was the last thing on his mind. He didn’t want to be here, so he wasn’t going to make the effort.

Sojiro came up the steps and told him to get changed into his uniform.

As he did, a sudden tinge of nervousness spread across him. He had no idea what the school would be like or even if he would make any friends.

Traffic was slow, this caused Sojiro to become visibly annoyed.

“Why did I decide to take such a troublesome child in? I am missing business here!”

These words weighed on Akira heavily. Was he really that bad? Before he could ponder further, they had arrived.

Shujin was a towering school, nestled in a quiet neighbourhood. Akira shuddered as he looked up to the school and walked up the stairs.

**Shujin Academy (Daytime)**

To Akira’s surprise, the school looked pretty normal. Hallways were full of student’s work, various schedules and club advertisements. He looked at what clubs were on offer:

_Gardening_

_Soccer_

_Band_

_Computing_

He thought he might try out for the soccer team, albeit that was riding on the fact that he was hoping that the news wouldn’t get out to the student body that he had a record.

He kept his head down until he heard a voice.

“Excuse me, are you Kurusu-kun?”

He looked up to see a girl, she looked to be a third year. She had short hair and crimson eyes.

“Yes.”

“I am Niijima Makoto. The head of the student council. The principal is waiting for you.” She said with a flat tone.

She didn’t seem to be interested in being at the school on a Sunday. Neither did he. Once he made his way to the principal’s office, he was swiftly reminded of what he did and how lucky he was to be there.

“I am Principal Kobayakawa. As I am sure you are aware, you being here is a special case. If you slip over once then we will expel you, meaning you will have no where else to go. Understood?”

Akira shuddered and muttered.

“Yes.”

“This lady will be your homeroom teacher” he said as he pointed to a young teacher who wasn’t trying to hide her distaste for Akira.

“My name is Sadayo Kawakami. I will be your homeroom teacher. Here is your student ID. Come and see me in the faculty office tomorrow and I will show you to your classroom.

As Akira went to pick up his student ID card he noticed a pink flyer, he thought he saw a picture of a maid but before he could get a closer look it was snatched away, he could feel the glare he received from her.

“Why am I in charge of this delinquent? Surely a male teacher would be better for this Principal Kobayakawa” Akira was taken aback by how forward she seemed to be.

“Sorry, but your class was the only one that had a spot free.” Kobayakawa hesitated for awhile until the student council president spoke up.

“As the student council head I want you to feel that you can come to me if you ever need anything, even if you have a student record you are still a part of this academy”

Akira could only give a light thanks before Sojiro interrupted.

“Can we hurry this up? I got a café to attend you know”

“Very well, make sure you keep him out of trouble Sakura-san.”

“He knows what will happen if he gets into trouble like that again.”

As they travelled home in the car, Sojiro cursed the traffic.

“Looks like I won’t be opening up shop anytime today”, Sojiro sighed. “So that’s how they treat you if you have a record huh? Guess they really do hang over you.” Akira was surprised at what he sensed to be a small amount of sympathy in his voice.

Once they got back, Sojiro sighed and reluctantly closed shop. Akira was sure he heard Sojiro mumbling about Shujin and the traffic as he made his way out of the shop.

Akira noticed an unfinished crossword on one of the tables. He decided to fill it in, and to his surprise it was about education. Finishing it reminded him that did indeed have school tomorrow. He decided to take the book that he had put in his bag and start reading it. He found himself relating with the gentleman thief, despite being labelled as a thief, the titular character was upholding his own sense of justice.

He couldn’t remember how long he was reading but he was awoken by the ringing of a phone. Surprised, he checked his mobile and no one was ringing him. In a daze, he saw the yellow phone on the counter side, and decided to pick up.

“Hello, it is me.”

Akira had no idea who this was.

“Who?”

“Have you forgotten my voice already? Oh well, thanks for returning my call. Do me a favour and switch the open sign to closed for me. Thanks.”

Akira sighed. He went outside to switch the sign and he heard a voice.

“Aww, are you closing now?”

Akira turned around and was met with a woman who looked very out of place for this neighbourhood. She had short dyed blue hair, while wearing a doctor’s jacket. Akira remembered seeing a clinic on the way to Leblanc but was not expecting someone like her to work there.

“Wait, are you new here?” she quizzed. “We don’t see many teenagers here.”

“I’m under the care of Soj-“ Akira could hardly finish his sentence when she realised who it was.

“Oh, Sojiro surely knows how to pick them.” She giggled before telling Akira that they will meet again.

At this time, he didn’t even care that some random woman was talking to him, he just wanted to sleep. He was not looking forward to school tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Hope you enjoy the first chapter of 'An Unjust Society'.
> 
> Expect to meet some characters from Royal in the next chapter!


	3. Friends?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira prepares for his first day at his new school.
> 
> Everything seems to be going well until...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick warning, if you haven't seen or played through the last palace of P5R, I don't recommend you read this chapter, since a certain plot point references a certain character.
> 
> Thank you for your understanding.

**Monday, 11 th April, 2016**

**RING**

**RING**

**RING**

Akira looked at his phone.

5:30.

He was not used to waking up this early, even at his old school. Akira opened his bag to take out his glasses. He didn’t actually need them; they were just to make him look more normal.

He took out his Shujin uniform and from there, tried to motivate himself for the new day. Maybe his first day wouldn’t be so bad? He was hoping that no one would know his record.

His thoughts were interrupted by a peculiar aroma wafting around the attic. As he groggily made his way down the stairs, he noticed that it looked like Sojiro had been cooking.

“Here, I made you breakfast, now hurry up and eat it before it gets cold.”

Akira was surprised. Since he had a train pass to get to and from school, he thought he would spend the little money he had on some breakfast at the train station, but it seemed that it was no issue to him. As he sat down, he noticed that Sojiro had cooked him some curry. Akira stared at the plate for a while. It looked appetising enough, but he had never had curry for breakfast before.

Sojiro noticed his hesitation “Are you going to eat it or not? I want to open up shop soon.”

Akira picked up his spoon and took a mouthful. He was pleasantly surprised by the taste, a mixture between sweet and spice. Once he had finished, he made his way towards the door and thanked Sojiro for the meal.

“Don’t be late, I don’t want a phone call from the school!”

Akira grunted as he left the café. He really did not want to go to school.

_Overcast._

Akira looked up to the sky. He doesn’t have an umbrella so he hoped it wouldn’t rain. As he made his way to the Aoyama-Itchome station he heard distinct chatter.

_Those are the gymnast twins, right?_

_Huh? Are they starting school today?_

Akira shrugged as he waited in line to get on the train. He sat down and started to read. He was starting to get into the ventures of _Arsène Lupin: The Gentleman Thief_ when he heard a perky voice.

“Hey sis! Let’s sit here.”

He looked up to see two girls sit 2 rows ahead of him. They looked to be 1st years and judging by what they were saying, that seemed to be a correct assumption.

“Ready for our first day at our new school?” one of the girls said, she seemed to be happy and excited.

“Y-yeah…” the other replied.

Akira thought of offering some kind words, but he thought maybe that would give them a wrong impression of him. He really wanted to make some friends, but he was scared of being labelled as soon as he stepped foot into the school building.

“Hey, are you two famous young gymnasts?”

They nodded; the voice sounded like a middle-aged man.

Akira kept his ears peeled as he listened in further to the conversation.

“How would you like to do a modelling shoot? I can pick you two up from school, it pays well too!” Akira could sense that the two were starting to feel uncomfortable. He kept reading until he heard a gasp.

**“Please let go of me!”**

Those words reminded him. He could feel his blood boil, he couldn’t just ignore this, could he? What if he got arrested again? He grabbed his head, a sharp pain shot across him as he recalled getting dragged into the police car, was his previous decision a mistake?

**_NO!_ **

He rushed over to the man and grabbed his hand.

“Excuse me you seem to be bothering these two, they aren’t interested in your offer.” Akira stated. Even he was surprised by the level of sternness his voice commanded.

“Stay out of this kid, it is none of your business- “.

_We are arriving at Aoyama-Itchome, we are arriving at Aoyama-Itchome._

Akira looked relieved. The three of them could now make it to school without the interruption of pervy guys.

He stepped out of the train and noticed that it was raining. Akira sighed, and tried to speed up so he wouldn’t turn up to school soaking wet, until he heard a voice.

“Excuse me!”

Akira turned to see the two girls he helped earlier. The first had brown hair tied up in a ponytail and had brown eyes, the other had long red hair, wore glasses, and had red eyes.

“T-thanks for your help earlier…” Akira saw that the longer haired girl appeared nervous.

“Don’t worry about it, you seemed to be in a bit of trouble” He could feel a slight smile form on his lips. “I’m sorry but it’s important that I get to school on time, it is my first day after all.”

The other girl perked up when she heard this.

“Oh, are you a first year too?” She asked.

“No, I am a second year, I transferred to this school” Akira replied.

He was about to turn around and start running when one of the girls tapped him on the shoulder.

“Do you need an umbrella? Me and my sister can share one” She said with an almost infectious smile.

Akira accepted the offer, although he intended to return it once he saw them again. He checked the clock once he entered the school and let out a sigh of relief as he saw he still had 5 minutes until homeroom would start. He was making his way to the faculty office to meet his homeroom teacher. Before he could do that though, someone grabbed onto his arm and pulled him to the side.

“So, you’re the criminal huh? Heard you got an assault on your record.” Akira looked up to see a boy with dyed blond hair. “Can’t see why they would wanna bring someone like you here”.

Akira thought that was a bit rich coming from someone who had poorly dyed their hair blonde. He walked off, while sighing.

He knocked on the faculty office door and was met with a tired Kawakami.

“Oh, you actually arrived. Come with me and I will bring you to your classroom.” She sighed while leading Akira up the stairs to the 1st floor.

“Now, not many should know about your record, only the teachers and the student council president know about your situation. When you introduce yourself, make sure not to say anything weird.”

They both entered the classroom. Akira stood at the front and introduced himself. To his surprise, no one seemed to know about his record. He took a seat and opened a notebook as his first lesson approached. Maths. This was going to be a long one.

**Monday, April 10 th,2016**

**Lunchtime**

Akira thought he would try out the cafeteria food. As he waited in line, he could hear murmurs coming from various tables.

_Is that him?_

_The one with the criminal record?_

_I think so._

Akira looked down, trying to hide his face. He was shocked. How did everyone know? Was it that prim and proper Niijima who did this? She didn’t seem like the type of person to tell someone classified information like that, nor the type of person to even talk to someone like the blond-haired delinquent he saw earlier. He was digging into his food until he heard a familiar voice.

“Senpai!”

Akira turned around and saw one of the girls that he had helped earlier.

“Is it okay if I sit here?”

“Sure, you might not want to stay for too long though.”

Before the girl could respond she realised she didn’t even tell him her name.

“Oh, Senpai I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Kasumi Yoshizawa!”

“Akira Kurusu.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you.” She smiled. “I assume you’re wondering where the other girl is?” before Akira could nod, she replied “She wanted to eat alone today, she is finding school a bit difficult at the moment senpai.” Akira could see the sadness in her dark brown eyes.

“Aren’t you two gymnasts? I heard people talk about you in the station.”

“Yes, that is true. We want the Yoshizawa name to become a household name in the world of gymnastics.”

“Is she your sister?” Akira was surprised – their eyes were similar but everything else seemed different.

“Yes-“before Kasumi had the chance to continue, she was interrupted by a bystander.

“Hey, aren’t you the criminal? Yoshizawa you shouldn’t hang around with him, he might slug you in the eye if you look at him wrong”

Yoshizawa looked at Akira with genuine confusion. “Senpai what is the meaning of – “

Before she could finish, Akira took off. Multiple thoughts raced around his head as he tried to make his way back to the classroom. How would people react to him? How would he cope with the excessive torment that was likely to come to him. He gulped and entered his classroom, sat at his desk, and slumped over, waiting for the ground to swallow him up. He couldn’t focus on the lesson at hand, he didn’t even notice his social studies teacher aiming for him with his chalk. The class found it funny be he did not.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Monday,11 th April 2016**

**Morning, Shujin Academy**

He didn’t want to become enemies with the new kid, in fact he wanted to become friends with him since he believed they were in a similar situation. However, the situation he was in didn’t exactly allow him that gift.

As the leader of the track team he believed he had a duty of care to his teammates. He was running for one reason only – get a scholarship so he can ease the financial burden on his mother.

“Ryuji!”

He hated hearing that voice. That new coach had been a total pain in the ass.

“Are you aware that we will be getting a new transfer student?”

“Why should I care?” Ryuji grunted as he was about to leave the PE faculty office.

“This guy has a got a criminal record. Can you believe that?” This statement got Ryuji’s attention. He wasn’t exactly the model student, he thought maybe he could find a new friend in this guy. He was sticking out like a sore thumb with his dyed blond hair. “It would be a shame if this information would escape to the student body.” Ryuji frowned. That would not be good for that guy, he doesn’t deserve that kind of stigma behind him.

“I want you to leak his record.”

Ryuji froze. Why would he do that?

“It doesn’t matter how it is spread but make sure everyone knows about it before then.”

“And why should I do that?” Ryuji sneered.

“If you care about the track team you will do as I say. I can easily just move to the volleyball team if I want to. You want to help your single mother, don’t you? Or are you going to be as useless as your mother?”

Ryuji started to see red. “What did you say?!” He was angry now. He kicked over a surrounding bin which caught the coach’s attention.

“Do as I say, you runt!” Ryuji hardly had time to react before the teacher had sucker punched him. Grovelling on the floor, Ryuji reluctantly accepted to do what the coach asked of him. After all, it was his goal to relieve his mother of the pressure she was currently facing.

As he left, grunts of “that damn Kamoshida!” could be heard, as he went and told the other track members of the new boy’s record.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Monday, April 10 th, 2016**

**After School**

Finally, it was over. The first day had been a huge slog for Akira, he could hear the whispers of his classmates, but at this point all he wanted to do was go home and sleep. He wasn’t prepared for this amount of labelling, so he kept his head down and made his way to the exit.

_Isn’t that the criminal? Check his bag!_

_Let’s get him boys!_

_Let’s do it Ryuji!_

Akira turned around to see that blond boy from earlier, but didn’t remember much else after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> Next one should be up tomorrow, but if not the day after.
> 
> If you have any feedback I would be grateful if you would share it.
> 
> See you soon.


	4. Truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here is chapter 4!
> 
> If you haven't completed/saw the final palace events, then it may be best to refrain from reading this.

**Monday, 10 th April, 2016**

**Shujin Academy, Lunchtime**

“I leaked his record, Kamoshida.” Ryuji hung his head low. He couldn’t believe what he just did. He had just made the new kid’s school life a lot more difficult. All he wanted was to get that scholarship so he could help his mother, but was it really worth ruining someone’s life just to ensure a letter of recommendation?

Ryuji wasn’t a bad runner; in fact, he was very confident in his skills. Maybe he could show up to a college track meet and get scouted there. He hated Kamoshida, that vile coach was running the track team down for his own gains. To Ryuji’s dismay, he couldn’t just go against Kamoshida’s orders. Not only would he be jeopardising his future that he laid out but also the future of all his teammates that had full faith in him to lead them.

Ryuji was about to leave the PE faculty office when he heard Kamoshida’s voice.

“You’re not finished yet. I want you to show that kid that criminals aren’t welcome here.” Kamoshida looked upon Ryuji, a smug grin appearing on his face. “After all the hard work I have put into this school’s PE department, all the recognition will be gone. That kid is only there to make the school look better, he needs to go!”

Ryuji was shocked. What was this bastard about to ask of him?

“Make his life a living hell. He needs to know that Shujin Academy is a place for top learners who want a future, not criminal scum like him.”

Ryuji could not agree to this. “C’mon, surely it will be hard enough for him to feel welcome here with all the gossiping going around here, I don’t really wanna escalate things y’know?”

Kamoshida glared at him. “Well it would be a shame if the track team had to disband now because of it’s problematic leader wouldn’t it. Don’t get caught putting him in his place, if you get caught, even I won’t be able to defend you.”

Ryuji scowled at the thought of physically assaulting someone. He wasn’t that type of person. He was a witness to his dad’s brutal beatings of his mother.

**_DAD! Please stop, you are really hurting her!_ **

Ryuji couldn’t get the images out of his head. Him begging for his dad to stop while his mother was almost unconscious, to the tears shed while she was in a hospital bed. He hated how he could do nothing. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He couldn’t do anything about the rotten adults making this world a miserable place to live.

“You don’t want to be a deadbeat like your father now do you? Get to class, lunchtime is almost over.”

Ryuji was taken aback by his comments. How dare he talk about his family like that?! Ryuji was ready to slug Kamoshida right in his smug face. Just because he was an Olympic medallist why should he be immune from punishment like everyone else?

“Remember to do what I say, your future is in my hands” Kamoshida laughed. Ryuji left the PE faculty office. He didn’t want to do what he was about to do, but for the sake of his beloved mother and the teammates that rely on him, he would do whatever he could.

Reluctantly, he made his way to his track teammates and explained what Kamoshida had told him to do. To his surprise they were up for it.

_Criminals don’t have any right to be here!_

_We’ll give it to him after school!_

_We should let everyone know that a dangerous criminal is here._

Ryuji was caught off guard by these comments.

“Y’know guys, I don’t think this is a great idea. Poor guy has gone through enough. However, we gotta do it, otherwise the track team will be over.”

He was expecting his teammates to side with him but instead of that, they started to question his loyalty.

“You’d rather care about some scummy criminal over the track team?”

“Tch. No matter, we’ll get him either way, with you or not.”

Ryuji couldn’t find any words. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Before he could even defend his thoughts the bell rung. Shit. Guess he had no choice but to do what Kamoshida told him.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Monday 10 th April 2016**

**Afternoon, Student Council room**

Makoto Nijjima enjoyed being student council president. She wanted to be someone that any student could rely on. Even Akira Kurusu. She was filing some paperwork when one of her colleagues asked:

“Why was a criminal even allowed in this school anyway? This won’t sit well within the student body you know?”

Makoto froze. How did they know? Only she and the teachers knew about his situation, not to mention they were under strict orders not to leak the information.

“How do you know about that?” The sternness in her voice caused the atmosphere in the room to tense up.

“Uhh… The information was spread by someone, and now most of the students know.”

Makoto was not happy at this development. Student wellbeing was one of her main priorities. Perusing through the file of Akira Kurusu, his record actually looked pretty good. His grades weren’t too bad, he was a key player in his old school’s soccer team and had an exemplary reference from his old school. However, that was overshadowed by the fact that he was currently on probation. While Makoto was hellbent on upholding her sense of justice, she couldn’t help but feel more was at play here and the criminal label put on him was extremely unfair.

Seeking answers, she headed to the principal’s office.

“Excuse me Principal Kobayakawa, can I have a moment?” Makoto asked. She was on good terms with the principal, acting like the bridge between the students and him.

“Oh, Makoto! What can I do for you?” He looked up from his laptop.

“You are aware that Akira Kurusu’s record has been leaked correct?” He looked down; apprehension filled the room.

“Yes, I have no doubt that it was one of the teachers who relayed his information onto a student. They probably weren’t happy about the situation.” Kobayakawa sighed before continuing. “Despite these regrettable circumstances, we can’t really do much, in fact it may even be a good thing.”

How could that be a good thing? Makoto was worried that Akira would not be able to deal with the amount of labelling he would be subject to.

“If Shujin Academy can successfully rehabilitate a criminal back into society, then it would make headlines!”

Makoto was not happy to hear this. The principal only cared about the image of the school, as principal his upmost concern should be about the students.

“I’ll let you in on a secret. It was me who gave the green light to a certain teacher to leak the news. The whole idea of him coming to this school was so he could be used to improve the image of our academy.” Kobayakawa stood up and looked at Makoto. “I can trust you right? It would be a shame if word got out that this was the plan all along.”

Makoto adjusted her braided headband as she tried to stay calm. She came from a long line of police offers, and her sister is a well-respected prosecutor. She really didn’t want to keep quiet about this, her perception of justice was a main driver in her pursuit to become someone who could help create a more just society.

“Your sister must be so proud of you.”

Why did he have to mention her? Her family was a touchy subject for her. Her mother died at an early age and both her father and her sister were always busy with work. She did the chores, cooked meals and had responsibilities as student council president. She had hardly any personal time to herself and her patience was wearing thin.

“Please excuse me principal Kobayakawa.” She bowed and left. She couldn’t tell anyone about what the principal told him; he was vital in her plan to becoming a police commissioner. She was aware of the scope of influence he had; with a letter of recommendation from him, she could easily get into any of the top colleges in Japan. What would her father do? Makoto always looked up to her father, he was always trying to achieve justice and Makoto wanted to be just like him when she became older.

She couldn’t do anything, but she made a note to schedule a meeting with Akira as soon as possible.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**After School**

Akira eventually came to inside the nurse’s office. He could not remember anything that had happened.

“Kurusu-senpai! Y-you are finally awake!”

Akira was surprised anyone would be waiting for him, since now his secret was out. Akira looked to see the other Yoshizawa sister smiling at him.

“Sorry, I don’t think I have introduced myself yet… m-my name is Sumire Yoshizawa.” Akira noticed that she seemed to be extremely nervous.

“Why did you wait for me? You shouldn’t be associating yourself with a criminal you know.” Akira could only force a small smile as his face was in a lot of pain.

Sumire’s face dropped. Before she could reply, the nurse had come back into the room.

“You should be fine to head home now, take some painkillers if you need to.”

Akira thanked the nurse and made his way out of the office with Sumire. They were turning a corner when they saw Makoto. Akira just wanted to get home, he did not want to be around the prim and proper school council student who probably played a part in his record being leaked.

Luckily, Makoto didn’t see Akira, otherwise she would probably start questioning him over the various bruises that covered his face, or the fact that his lip was starting to swell up. The surrounding area was pretty quiet; he assumed that it must be getting pretty late.

“S-senpai? Can you remember what happened?” Akira turned around to see Sumire, she looked genuinely worried for him, when she saw him looking at her, she looked down, a red scarf helping to hide her embarrassment.

“I think I got attacked, seems people aren’t warming to me.”

“Senpai? You aren’t a criminal, are you?”

“I have a record. For assault.” Akira kept his head down. He wasn’t proud of it, but he didn’t think what he did was a mistake. He would do it again if he had to.

Sumire seemed surprised by the revelation.

“R-really?! But you seem to be a nice guy, you even helped me and my sister out…”

As they were talking, the train to Shibuya arrived. They entered and sat together. Akira wondered if Sumire would even believe him if he told her the truth. It was the least he could do to repay Sumire for waiting for him in the nurse’s office. Akira took a deep breath and decided to tell Sumire how society had dealt him a bad hand, and how the people that were supposed to be upholding justice screwed him over.

Akira could notice the sad expression that had covered Sumire’s face.

“You don’t deserve that. No one does. I am sorry…”

Akira looked up, surprised at the sudden apology.

“I started to believe the rumours going around. That you were a thief, a murderer, and countless other horrible things. I even thought that you had helped me and Kasumi out just because you wanted something out of us.” Sumire looked genuinely upset with herself.

“Don’t beat yourself up about it. It isn’t your fault, your situation was similar to the one that put me in probation, but I couldn’t stand by and watch while you were in trouble.”

Sumire let off a heartfelt smile. Akira hoped that he would eventually make some friends, and that Sumire could be one of them.

They eventually got off the train and headed into Shibuya. “U-umm…”

“What is it Sumire?” Akira looked up, trying to smile.

“I need to go now, but could you give me your n-n-num…”

“My number?” Akira could not help but feel the warmth rise to his face. He wasn’t getting a girlfriend yet, was he?

“I-i-I just want to make sure you get home safe” Sumire’s face was now brighter than her hair.

Akira let off a warm smile while they exchanged contact information.

“See you soon Kurusu-senpai!” Akira waved her off as she made her way home.

Akira’s head started to hurt a lot. He remembered he saw a clinic in Yongen-Jaya, maybe he could go and get some painkillers there before he returned to the café. As he entered the train taking him there, he decided to reflect on his first day at school. It certainly wasn’t the best first day in history. He had trouble remembering much about when he got jumped, all he could see was the blond guy from earlier. He wondered why he was attacked. Before he could think too much, the train had arrived at Yongen-Jaya and it was time for him to return home.

Akira kept his head down while he approached Leblanc. If it were possible, he would prefer if Sojiro didn’t know about this, since Akira was sure that Sojiro would try to pin the blame on him. As he entered the café, he saw Sojiro serving coffee to the woman he saw outside yesterday.

“You’re late, what wer-“ He looked around to see the bruised and swollen face of Akira.

“Are you okay?!” Akira was surprised, he didn’t expect to see Sojiro with any hint of sympathy.

The sudden change in mood cause the woman to turn around too. Just in case he wasn’t sure before, it was definitely the woman from yesterday.

She looked surprised. “Are you okay? Follow me, I’ll take you to my clinic.”

Akira realised that the clinic he saw on the way must have belonged to her. He entered the exam room and waited for the woman to come out.

“You look injured. Did you get into a fight?” Akira couldn’t pay attention to the question; his head felt like it was about to explode.

“Something like that.” Akira could manage that before clutching his head in pain. The doctor decided to examine him, checking for signs of a concussion, or any other type of trauma. Luckily, it wasn’t too bad, he was sent back with some painkillers and told to come back in a couple of days to make sure everything was fine.

Akira headed for Leblanc, where he tried to explain what happened to Sojiro.

“I feel for ya kid… school can be brutal nowadays. Take your medicine and get some rest.”

Slumped on his bed, he took out his phone to see he had received some messages.

**Sumire:**

Senpai, are you there?

Senpai??

**Akira:**

I am okay Yoshizawa-san, I appreciate your concern.

Within minutes Akira was asleep. He hoped that tomorrow would be better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed chapter 4!
> 
> I woke up to over 150 hits and some subscriptions. It makes me happy that you guys are looking forward to more. Chapters from now on will likely be every other day, however there may be times where they become daily.
> 
> P.S Happy birthday Makoto! Best girl.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here is chapter 5 of 'An Unjust Society.'
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

**Monday 11 th April 2016**

**Evening**

Ryuji couldn’t sleep that night. Was that really the right decision to make? While he always had trouble getting to sleep, it was never out of guilt. His mother had recently got back from work, so he decided to see how she was.

“Hey mom…” From the solemn expression on his face, she realised immediately that something was up with him. She was a single mother, working extra hours to support herself and Ryuji. She always held regrets about how Ryuji was brought up; she blamed herself for the abusive household environment and the lack of a father figure in his life. His grades had also been suffering, and in a recent meeting with the school she apologised to Ryuji, telling him that he deserved a lot better than she could provide. Ryuji never blamed his mother once, it was his fault his grades were slipping, not to mention the stranglehold that that bastard Kamoshida had over his future. He desperately wanted to break free, but after all his mother had done for him would it really be right for him to just abandon everything he had set out to do? He could get a part time job, but his mother had insisted that he spends that time doing schoolwork.

“What’s wrong Ryuji?” Her mother’s intuition led her to believe he was about to confess to doing something.

“I did a real horrible thing today mom, I’m struggling to sleep.”

“What did you do this time? Ryuji… I asked you to stop misbehaving at school.” Ryuji slumped over the table, trying to hide the tears that were forming in his eyes.

“I beat a kid up today.” This statement shocked his mother, as far as she was aware her son would never hurt a fly, there must have been other forces at play.

“You did what? Ryuji… what happened? You aren’t the type of person to do that. Did they provoke you?”

“No mom… it was unprovoked…” Ryuji looked up, tears clouding his eyes. He decided he would tell her everything.

“That effin Kamoshida mom! He is ruining my life!”

“He is using my future against me!” Ryuji clenched his fists; he couldn’t stop himself shaking. That bastard threatened to take everything away from him. “He… He… He said that if I didn’t do as he said then he wouldn’t put in a recommendation in for me to get a scholarship.” Ryuji looked up, the tears not stopping. “I need that scholarship, just so I can help take the pressure off you. You have done so much for me and I want to help you, but this is killin’ me.”

“Ryuji…” His mother couldn’t even look at him, she knew that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to control the tears. Ryuji was always extremely kind-hearted. She had no idea the struggles that Ryuji had been undertaking in order to try and help her. But she wasn’t going to allow that to happen, he didn’t want this cloud to forever hang over him.

“It’s okay Ryuji… you don’t have to fight for me anymore.” The tears began to fall, she hated to see her son like this.

“But mom… you’re always doing things for me. And it’s time I try to help too.”

She always knew that Ryuji was extremely kind, which made the current situation even worse. Ryuji didn’t deserve such a useless mother; he deserved a lot better.

“Ryuji I am sorry. For being a single parent, for being useless and most of all, I am sorry for making you feel that you had to do this for me.”

These words hit Ryuji like an arrow through his heart. Why was she apologising? She didn’t deserve any of this, the last thing he would want would be her to take responsibility. It was tough for him to see her mother like this.

“If the track team is causing you so much trouble you can just leave it. It’s not worth it if you will be in pain. Nothing matters more to me than my son being happy, if I must work harder than so be it, I just can’t bear to see you suffer.”

“Mom… I am going to become a pro athlete, scholarship or not, just to make you happy.”

Ryuji headed upstairs, filled with a new resolve – but first, he had to apologise to him.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Tuesday 12 th April 2016**

Akira was abruptly awoken by his alarms, he felt they were extremely effective this time, the ringing exacerbated by the powerful migraine he had sustained from yesterday’s beating. He felt especially groggy today, the last thing he wanted to do was to go to that damn school.

As he made his way out of Leblanc, Sojiro urged him to stay out of trouble. He took his allocated dose of painkillers and made his way to the station.

Once he had gotten to Shibuya, he was surprised to see Kasumi and Sumire also waiting for the train to Aoyama-Itchome.

“Kurusu-senpai!” Kasumi welcomed Akira with a wide smile. He couldn’t help but recognise the big red bow which helped to hold up her ponytail. “Sumire gave me the rundown earlier, will you be okay?” He wasn’t sure yet, but her smile gave him hope.

Once they got onto the train, Akira wasted no time in thanking Sumire for waiting for him in the nurse’s office. She brushed it off, saying that it was in thanks for helping them on the train yesterday.

“Sorry I wasn’t there. I was in the PE faculty office, Kamoshida wanted to speak to me. He said he would do anything to help us reach our goal of participating on the global stage.” Akira was pleasantly surprised by this. Maybe there were some good people in that school after all. “He wants to see you at lunchtime too Sumire. Don’t worry, he is super nice.”

Sumire was surprised by this request. “W-what? Why would he want to speak to me?” Akira could notice that she looked nervous.

“You could always make an excuse if you need to, I’m sure he would understand.” Akira replied, hoping that would settle her nerves.

“Y-yes senpai.” Sumire felt better after hearing that.

Once they got off the train, they decided to go their separate ways. Akira headed to his locker as he needed to change his shoes. He noticed there was a note on the locker door.

_Meet me on the school rooftop after school, there is something I need to talk to you about._

Akira was puzzled. No signature and scruffy handwriting, he was sure it was a trap but wasn’t decided on whether he would go or not.

Akira was the first to homeroom, and Kawakami had noticed the bruising around his face.

“Akira, what happened?” a wave of genuine concern rushed over Kawakami, as his homeroom teacher it was her responsibility to offer him pastoral support.

“Oh? It’s nothing, I fell over in the station on the way here. That is all.”

Kawakami knew he was lying but didn’t want to pry, but she sent an email to Makoto, maybe the student council president could get something out of him.

**S. Kawakami:**

Hey Makoto, Akira has just turned up to class and his face is covered in bruises. Maybe you could talk to him and see if you can get anything out of him.

**M. Niijima:**

I’ll see what I can do. I have been meaning to speak with him since it seems his record has been leaked. I will catch up to him at lunchtime.

Akira didn’t want anything to do with school at the moment. He kept his head down while the teacher spoke about optical illusions.

**Lunchtime**

Akira was about to make his way out of the school to grab a drink from the vending machine when he heard a familiar voice.

“Kurusu-kun, may I speak to you?”

When he turned around, Makoto looked horrified.

“What happened to you? Do you need to go to the nurse? I can take you if you would like-“

“I am fine, please leave me alone I just want to get a drink.”

Makoto did not want to seem pushy, but she was worried about Akira, and wanted to make sure he was okay.

“Come with me to the student council room please, I just want to make sure everything is okay.”

Akira realised he probably wouldn’t be able to get rid of her easily, so he sighed and decided to follow her up to the room.

“Now, I do not want to take too much of your time, but you need to tell me if something is happening. Take a seat and let’s talk about this.”

Makoto proceeded to take out a folder. Akira saw his picture, kept his head down and adjusted his glasses. He didn’t want to be here, let alone tell that stuck up honour student what was going on in his life.

“I am sure you are aware that news of your record has reached the student body. You need to let me know if this causes you to get into any trouble, I will do my best as student council president to help you.”

Akira grimaced as he heard that statement. She seemed very arrogant and sure of herself. She was probably doing this just for extra credit.

A sudden realisation swept Makoto as she looked at Akira. “Did you get into a fight? Did they say anything about your –“

Akira got out of his chair and headed for the door.

“Wait. I am not finished yet.”

Akira turned to her. “What do you know about my situation? How do I know you aren’t just doing this to get extra credit?”

“I take all matters very seriously as student council pres-“

“We are done here.” Akira walked out as something dropped out of his pocket. He didn’t need help, especially from her.

Makoto was surprised. No one had ever walked out on her like that, she could not fathom why anyone would ever refuse her help. As the student council president that was her job, looking out for fellow students. She was not doing this for extra credit, but out of concern for Akira. Principal Kobayakawa just wanted him to be there so the reputation of the school would improve, but to her, he did not seem like the typical criminal. This hurt her, she only wanted every student to have a successful time at Shujin. Before she could dwell on her thoughts any longer, she found a piece of paper on the floor, she opened it up to see the note that was left in Akira’s pocket.

_Meet me on the school rooftop after school, there is something I need to talk to you about._

Was that directed to her? No, it couldn’t be, how would he know about the rooftop? It is off limits to students.

She had to go back to class, but she would check out the rooftop after she had finished her after school duties.

**After School**

Akira had spent most of his afternoon lesson wondering if he would go up to the rooftop. Maybe he had a secret admirer. While he would enjoy that, he knew that most likely it was a trap. Akira wasn’t bad at fighting, having learned basic self defence moves in his hometown. If he knew he was about to get into a fight he could be at least semi prepared.

The problem was that Akira had no idea how to get to the rooftop. He hung around the stairs until he saw Makoto.

“Trying to get to the rooftop, are we?” Akira rolled his eyes as Makoto smirked. “It’s up those stairs, you shouldn’t be going up there though you know.”

Akira was surprised to know that she knew about that, as he tried to look for the note. As expected, Makoto held it up, the smirk grating on Akira even more. He ignored her and went up to the rooftop.

To his surprise, it was the blond-haired kid, he was stood looking at the view. He turned over to see Akira.

“Hey man, I’m surprised you actually came.”

Akira could tell from his voice that he had no intention to fight.

“What do you want from me?” Akira did not want to be around the guy that had previously knocked him out.”

“I need to apologise to you dude.” The sadness was evident in his face. “It was me and my teammates who attacked you.”

“I know, I could tell from that bright hair.” Akira said sternly. “Why did you bring me up here? I don’t exactly want to speak or even be near you at the moment.

“C’mon man just hear me out. I didn’t want to assault you, but I didn’t really have much of a choice.”

Akira, surprised at his statement, looked up at the boy. Once the boy saw Akira’s beaten face, he flinched. “Mr Kamoshida told me to do it.”

Kamoshida? Akira wondered where he heard that name before.

“He has me in a tough place right now.” The boy had decided to tell Akira all about what he was going through. How his mom was trying her hardest to support him, how he was in the track team and how he really needed that scholarship to help his mom out. Akira could emphasize with him; It sounded like they had both been through a lot of shit. However, that still didn’t explain why Kamoshida would tell him to do such a thing. According to Kasumi, Kamoshida was a nice guy and a good teacher, why would he tell this guy to beat the shit out of him. Akira was not buying this act and was insulted that this was his excuse.

“You expect me to believe that? How did you know about me having a criminal record?”

“Kamoshida told me.”

Akira walked away. He didn’t want anything to do with this guy, especially after what he had done to him. His head hurt, and he was sick of everyone’s lies. He really felt unwelcome at Shujin, the majority of the student body had it out for him – he had endured a lot of verbal abuse, even from some of the teachers. He didn’t want to be there either. As he went to open the door, he realised that Makoto was stood there. He really did not have time to be dealing with her brown nosing either.

“Kurusu-kun… I heard everything.”

“I don’t care, I’m leaving.”

Akira kept his head down while he made his way out of Shujin. He could tell that this was going to be a long year.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Meanwhile,_

“Excuse me, are you Yoshizawa-san?” Kasumi turned around, surprised that this girl she had never seen before knew her name. She looked like she had been beaten up pretty badly, she had bruises all over her face, and Kasumi noticed that she did not look happy.

“Do you need to go to the nurse’s office?” Kasumi asked.

“No, I will be fine, these are just training injuries.” Kasumi was surprised she got those injuries through training. “Anyway, Kamoshida would like to see you.”

“Kamoshida?” What did he want with her?

“Yes.” Kasumi decided to go with the girl, since Kamoshida had been nice to her. She was sure that it was just for something small.

As the two entered the PE faculty office, Kamoshida looked at them both, he did not look happy.

“Hello, Kasumi!” Kasumi was slightly unnerved. Was she in trouble?

“Thanks for bringing her here Suzui. Remember to lock the door behind you, we don’t want any interference now do we?”

_Click._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you have any feedback, please leave it!
> 
> Next chapter will probably be Monday but that is subject to change.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, a bit early but here is chapter 6. I am delighted that we have reached 500 hits, I hope everyone is enjoying this fic.

Akira had been waiting at the train station. He was in no mood to speak to anyone. How could that boy come up with a ludicrous excuse like that? Why would a teacher tell him to do that? Akira could hardly think, his head still ringing from yesterday’s attack. As he got on to the train, he recoiled at the thought of Makoto getting into his personal business. He didn’t want to stay in Yongen-Jaya anymore. However, to his dismay, his mother hadn’t checked in on him. He loved her dearly, did she really not want anything to do with him anymore? He was tired of the constant labelling and rumours that flew around the school – just yesterday he heard that he was a drug dealer that carried a gun around. What was it that made people jump to conclusions so fast? He hardly stood out in school, yet he was the centre of attention.

He made his way out to Shibuya and decided to head to the diner to relax with some coffee. He had some homework to do plus it wasn’t like he was welcome at the library. He got his schoolbook out and did his math homework. He really wanted to try and do well in school, maybe if he did well in tests people would see him for who he is, not just his record. As he was studying, he noticed that someone had come in, and the diner became silent. That was until he started to hear whispers.

“Is that him?”

Akira stopped. Did the whole of Shibuya know about him now? He had quickly decided that he would never go to this diner again.

“You mean THE Goro Akechi? In this diner?”

Akira let out a quick sigh, but in reality, that was a huge weight off his shoulders. He didn’t know how much more relentless bullying he could stomach. He carried on studying, hearing that this Akechi guy was a detective or something. He made his way up to quadratic functions. He was engrossed in his book until a phrase stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Kurusu-kun!” It was Makoto. How did she know he would be here?

“What do you want?” Akira was already packing his bags; he was in no mood for anymore snooping.

“Niijima-san?” an unknown voice caught Akira off guard. He could make his leave.

“Akechi-kun, what a surprise to see you here. I was just going to order coffee and get started on some notes.”

Akechi looks over to Akira. “I don’t believe we’ve met. Goro Akechi.” Akira noticed his smile didn’t exactly seem genuine.

“Akira Kurusu.” Akira was not interested in speaking to this guy. He just wanted to go home.

“What say we all get some drinks, on me of course.”

“Sorry I need to leave. Thanks for the offer though.” Akira hated to pass on free stuff, but the last thing he wanted was to spend any more time with _her._

_\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

“What’s up with him?” Akechi said, while putting his hand to his chin (one of the many poses he would use during his various TV appearances).

“It’s a long story.” Makoto sighed to herself. How could she be a good Student Council President while this was going on? People were not happy with Akira being at Shujin Academy, however Makoto found herself intrigued with Akira. He seemed fairly normal, there had been no reports of bad behaviour in the 2 days that he had been there, yet there was still a lot she didn’t know about him. She still needed to show Akira that she was on his side.

“Hello? Niijima-san? You seem lost in thought.” This statement brought Makoto back to reality.

“Well, shall we?” Akechi directed her to a booth.

Makoto was friends with Akechi because they had a mutual acquaintance – Makoto’s father. He was interning with him, helping to crack cases and gain the title of ‘The Detective Prince’. Despite this, they were not very close – Makoto hardly knew anything about him, he lived by himself despite being a 3rd year like her. He had never mentioned anything about his family.

“So, how do you know that guy? I come around here pretty often, and I have never heard about him, let alone seen him.”

“He’s the new transfer student.”

“Oh, the one with a record?” Makoto was taken aback, she knew Akechi had a sharp eye for information but was surprised that he knew about Akira. “You should be careful around him, what would your father say if he saw you hanging out with a convicted criminal?”

“I’m not hanging out with him; I just think there is more to the story than him just being a criminal.”

“Is that so?” Akechi smirked, maybe this was a new mystery he could try and unravel.

“He doesn’t exactly seem like a bad guy, he usually keeps to himself, and even seems to be doing well at school.”

“Sounds like the typical serial killer.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“Well just take care of yourself, let me know if he tries to do anything to you. I need to get going.”

Makoto was glad he was finally gone. He always felt like that the awkward family friend who was difficult to shake off. Makoto was never very popular at school, this led to her not having many friends, so she usually resigned to studying before going home after school. She would usually use the school library, but recently she found it hard to concentrate there since rumours of Akira had led the library to become a rumour hub. She had too much on her plate, her mind already focused on entrance exams, despite them being almost a year from now. Success in the Niijima family was a huge aspect – she did not want to fall behind her esteemed sister. This made things tough for her though, since her over reliance on trying to get the best grades meant that she struggled on the social side of school – she didn’t really have any friends.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kasumi told Sumire she was going to do some extra practice at school with Mr Kamoshida. Sumire didn’t take the offer up though, as she always felt like there was something up with him. Kasumi and Sumire were introduced to gymnastics at a young age, with Kasumi being a lot more into it than her. She had other hobbies, she had a big interest in video games but was reluctant to tell many people about it because to them, video games are very unbecoming of a future gymnast. She wanted Kasumi to succeed, even if it meant that she had to retire from gymnastics.

Her thoughts crossed to Akira. She knew deep down that he wasn’t a criminal, why would a criminal help someone that they wouldn’t know? He had even got beat up by some thugs yesterday. She pulled her phone out and decided to check on Akira.

**Sumire:**

“Senpai! Are you okay?”

Sumire put her phone away when she heard the door open. It was Kasumi, but she seemed awfully quiet.

“Hey sis!”

No response. Did she do something wrong?

Kasumi turned to Sumire. “I’m tired, I’m going to bed.”

Sumire did not expect to hear this from her sister. She was never tired after practice. She turned to face Kasumi, all colour draining from her face as she tried to muster up a sentence.

“S-sis? What happened to you?” Sumire started to panic, she was trying her hardest not to burst into tears, the thought of her sister struggling felt like needles through her heart.

“It is nothing, sis. I picked these up from practice.” This didn’t do anything to alleviate her fears – they had been practicing for a very long time together, their coach had never once resorted to extremely physical practice. Her face dropped as she connected the dots.

“Did Kamoshida do this to you?!” she struggled to find her breath as her mind raced to some of the worst case scenarios. Kasumi noticed her panicking, and put her hand on Sumire’s shaking shoulder.

“Listen, I just got a few bumps and bruises while practicing, it is fine. Please don’t worry yourself over it, we have a competition coming up soon.” She could force a meagre smile before she made her way to bed.

Sumire’s phone buzzed.

**Akira:**

“Hey Sumire, I’m doing okay. What’s up?”

Sumire wasn’t sure if she should tell him about Kasumi, but she really needed to speak to someone.

**Sumire:**

“It’s about Kasumi, she came home today and she looks beaten, I think it might be Kamoshida.

“Can we speak about this at lunchtime tomorrow?“

Sumire noticed the three dots sat on the screen for a while.

**Akira:**

“Sure. See you then.”

Sumire put her phone down and tried to get some sleep.

Akira was glad to be gone from that diner. He was stressed, he didn’t want anyone to be knee deep in his business, especially those with an ulterior motive like that student council president.

He got on the train to Yongen-Jaya. He heard a buzz coming from his phone, he made a mental note to check it later – the train was too full to respond right away.

Once he made his way into Leblanc, Sojiro could instantly tell something was up.

“Tough day at school kid?”

“Yeah...” Akira was about to make his way upstairs until Sojiro stopped him.

“Let me teach you how to make a good cup of coffee, women love a man who can make great coffee.”

“What woman would want to go for a criminal anyway?” Akira tried to take the edge off his self-deprecating comment with an awkward smile.

“Now, let’s get started. There are multiple types of beans, each of which have various different textures and flavours. Let’s try using Blue Mountain for now. They’re extremely expensive but I got another delivery coming through.”

Sojiro then directed him to the coffee grinder. “This can get difficult, as the amount of time you grind the beans has a huge effect on the taste. Give it a try.”

Akira was surprised by how in-depth coffee making was, it was tough for him to grind the beans but he also didn’t want to grind them too finely. He filled the mug with hot water and started to stir, before handing the cup to Sojiro.

He took a sip, his expression didn’t change.

“Not bad for an amateur.” Akira was sure that Sojiro was trying to hide a smirk. “Keep practising, and you might even get to my level.”

Akira smiled; this had really made him forget about everything that had happened at school.

“I’m locking up now, you should probably go to bed now.”

Akira watched Sojiro leave and made his way up to the attic. Another buzz of his phone pulled him back, and he saw another message from Sumire. He replied back to Sumire asking how he was, and changed out of his school uniform. Once he looked back at his phone to reply, he froze. Kamoshida might have hurt Kasumi? That couldn’t be right. Just who was Kamoshida then?

He agreed to meet up with Sumire at lunchtime the following day and went to sleep. He couldn’t believe that he had only been at school for 2 days.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Wednesday 13 th April 2016**

**Leblanc**

Akira groaned after being awoken by his alarm. He just wanted it to be Sunday, so he could take a break. This week felt like an eternity to him, and he wasn’t even halfway done with it yet. He begrudgingly put his Shujin Academy uniform on and went to brush his teeth. While doing that, he realised that he needed to apologise to Ryuji if Kamoshida was in fact abusing students. He hardly knew Kasumi and Sumire but couldn’t stomach the thought of not doing anything to help. If one thing was consistent with Akira it was his unwavering sense of justice. He had noticed it more and more recently, rotten adults who just took advantage of kids for their personal gain. But what could he do? He was just a school kid. He dreamt about having some sort of super power that could help him make the world a better place, but unfortunately this was the real world with very real problems.

He was glad there was no sign of rain as he stepped out of Leblanc. As he arrived in Shibuya, he made his way to the Ginza Line and started to eavesdrop two Shujin Academy students. They were speaking about the volleyball rally that was today. Akira then realised he forgot to bring his gym clothes. He hoped that maybe he could make an acceptable excuse to try and worm out of this stick situation. He had come up with an excuse as he went to the vending machine just outside of school. He had hoped that he wouldn’t have to do it, and by some miracle once he got to homeroom Kawakami was waiting for him.

“Kurusu. Don’t worry about the volleyball rally today, you have an appointment scheduled with Dr Maruki.” Akira let off a sigh of relief, until he realised that he had no underlying health conditions.

“Who is that?” Akira looked up at her.

“He is the student counsellor.”

“And why exactly do I need to speak to him? I don’t remember asking for any help.”

“You are on the list of students that are at risk of falling behind on their studies. Attendance is mandatory.”

Akira was surprised to hear that, who exactly decided that he was at risk?

“And who decides that exactly?”

“The teachers and the student co-“ Akira had heard enough. Cutting her off, Akira asked for directions and then made his way to Maruki’s office as instructed.

He knocked in the door, expecting to see someone about 4 or 5 times his age, but was surprised when a rather young adult came out.

“Oh! Are you Kurusu-san?” Akira nodded. “I’m sorry you have been forced here, but hey, I bring some snacks to make up for it. Have at them” as he pointed to a bowl full of sweet and savory snacks.

“Truth is, I’ve already looked at your student record.” Maruki noticed Akira’s eyes had opened wide and grimaced. “Don’t worry, I won’t treat you any differently. Truth is I am new here too, so you would you care to talk about how your first couple of days have gone?”

“Take a look at my face and have a guess.” While the bruises had started to fade, they were still noticeable.

“Ahh, I’m sorry.” Maruki gave an awkward smile.

“Well, how is your probation going? Are you getting along with your new carer?”

“He hasn’t warmed up to me much, the criminal label is really wearing down on me, I have struggled to make friends. I just want to go home.”

Akira recounted how he had protected the woman from that adult, and how he had lost his trial.

Maruki looked at him with an understanding smile.

“I believe you. Society can be rotten at times.”

They carried on confiding in each other until Maruki noticed the time.

“Looks like we got a bit ahead of ourselves there. Come again if you need anything. Oh, take this.”

Maruki handed him a chocolate bar and sent him on his way.

**Lunchtime**

Akira walked up to the cafeteria and noticed that Sumire was sitting at a table by herself. Desperate to know more about what happened to Kasumi, he went and sat with her. She looked solemn, which caused Akira to have major doubts about what he said on the rooftop. Was that blond haired kid right?

“What makes you think it was Kamoshida who did this, Sumire?”

“W-well...” Akira didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but he needed to know if a teacher hurt his friends. “She said she was practising with Kamoshida, she came home with bruises all over her face plus she did not look happy at all...” the sadness evident on Sumire’s face was proof that she deeply cared for her sister.

Before she could continue, an announcement played over the intercom.

_The volleyball rally has ended. Students are welcome to stay here if they would like, but they can also head home._

Sumire excused herself, it seemed that emotions had gotten to the better of her. Akira couldn’t blame her.

Akira was not used to this spare time. Maybe he could go out to Shibuya and grab a bite to eat? Or maybe head to the arcade? That was until he remembered that according to the school, he was in danger of not fulfilling his potential. If people saw him studying at the library, maybe people would think better of him.

He had hoped to see Ryuji on the way to the library, but unfortunately he was nowhere to be found. He made a mental note to apologise to him and decided to make his way up to the library.

Refreshingly, there weren’t many people in the library, so he took a table and got his homework out. He hoped to get his current load done, so he could relax on Sunday.

He was about to finish his social studies work when he felt a light hand on his shoulder.

He heard a soft voice.

“Hey u-um would you like to study?”

It was Makoto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed chapter 6. Chapter 7 might be tomorrow, but Tuesday at the latest.
> 
> Also how do you feel about the length of the chapters? Please let me know if you would prefer longer or shorter ones.


	7. Chapter 7

**After school**

Akira just wanted to be alone, his feelings welling up inside him. He felt close to bursting but didn’t want to show it to those at school – the last thing he needed was something else the student body could terrorise him with. He wanted to be back home, reading his favourite manga or playing his favourite video game, but instead he felt trapped. He had no one to turn to, the label of being a criminal scared off most people. Maybe he could be put in a coma for a year? He didn’t want to have to deal with this anymore, being a prisoner of his own mind.

“E-excuse me, would you like to study?”

Akira looked up, a pair of crimson eyes looking expectantly down on him.

“No, not really. In fact, I am about to finish up.” Akira knew that she probably wasn’t there for his own benefit. “Is this because I’m ‘at risk of not reaching my potential?’ Kawakami told me that you had a hand in making that list.”

“W-what? No…”

Akira was starting to lose his patience. “I bet this would look good on your college application – ‘Helped delinquent boy reach top 10 in his year’” His words beginning to drip with cynicism. “You don’t know me; all you want is to get to that top university, don’t you? You wouldn’t understand getting screwed by adults, would you? You have it all handed to you.”

Akira realised that he may had gone slightly too far with his comments. However by then it was too late. He had noticed tears starting to form in the corners of Makoto’s eyes. He didn’t mean to have a sudden outburst.

“I-I Understand.” Makoto mumbled before making her way to the exit. Akira’s voice was failing him. Before he could even say anything assembling an apology she had gone. He had been cursing himself all the way to the station. He shouldn’t have jumped to the conclusions that he did, but he didn’t trust anyone. To him, everyone spent their lives trying to 1-up everyone, and he assumed that Makoto was no different.

As he made his way to Shibuya, he thought he would make his way to the beef bowl shop. In his mind, maybe eating some food would make him feel better. As he entered, he was surprised to see the blond-haired kid from the rooftop. He noticed Akira and kept his head down. Akira went to order his food and noticed that they were hiring. Akira made a mental note to apply later on – it might be good for spending money but also to ensure he had something to do. He took his food and made his way to the blond-haired kid.

“I think I owe you an apology for my behaviour on the roof. I think my friend might also be getting abused by Kamoshida.”

The blond-haired perked up after hearing this.

Akira continued by telling him that he had heard that Kasumi had come home with bruises all over her face.

There was a momentary silence before the kid smashed his fists into the table, creating a shockwave that almost knocked Akira’s food onto the floor.

“That bastard! I knew he wouldn’t stop at me, or the volleyball team.”

Akira tried to calm him down, but it was to no avail.

“I am not certain that it was definitely Kamoshida-“

“Damn it! I need to do something about him. If I don’t then other people might be in trouble.”

Those words resonated with Akira. If he didn’t help Sumire and Kasumi before that, then they may never have been friends. If Sumire never told him about Kasumi’s suffering, then she would have suffered in silence. He had to do so something, he couldn’t just sit back and watch.

“L-let me help! I need to do something…” Akira started to shake, his fist clenched while he tried his hardest not to explode out of rage. He hardly knew the Yoshizawa twins, but they were the closest thing he had to friends.

“Hell yeah dude!” He started to grin. “Imma need all the help I can get. Name’s Ryuji by the way. Meet me on the rooftop after school tomorrow and we can discuss things further. My mom is waiting for me. Seeya!”

Akira watched Ryuji dash out of the store. He thought to himself that Ryuji really lives to the beat of his own drum. Before he could finish eating his phone buzzed. Expecting a text from Sumire, he unlocked his phone to be greeted with a notification from his calendar app.

_Check up with the doctor in 30 Minutes._

Akira cursed under his breath and made a run for it.

He had reached the clinic in Yongen-Jaya with a minute to spare. Someone must have been smiling down from above since he didn’t even need to wait for a train. He opened the door to the clinic, his rush to not be late obvious by the rapid breathing that the doctor could hear.

“You alright?” The doctor said, smiling.

“Yeah, I didn’t want to be late. Can we make this quick though? I’m feeling pretty good.”

The doctor looked at him, smirking. “I’ll be the judge of that. Please head to the exam room.”

As Akira was waiting for the doctor to arrive, he heard the clacking of her heels. Was that really the correct attire for a doctor? He shrugged, putting it down to it being a private surgery. 

She sat down in her chair, checking Akira’s face for any bruises.

“You said you felt fine right? Any reason why you want this to be over so soon? Do you have a girl waiting for you?” She smirked once she realised that Akira’s face turned a light shade of pink.

“N-no…” Girls were the last thing on Akira’s mind – it wasn’t like anyone would want to date a criminal anyway.

“You’re good to go. Let me know if you need any more pain killers.”

Akira thanked the doctor and made his way back to Leblanc. He had a long day and decided to get ready for bed. It was a tough day for him. He decided he would text his mother.

**Akira:**

Hey mom, the truth is that I have been finding life in Tokyo to be pretty difficult. No one seems to want to be friends with me, and school isn’t very good either considering everyone knows about me and my record. Have you been okay?

He hit send, until he got a notification.

_Undelivered._

He checked his signal, it looked strong. He tried to send it again until the recognition of the situation hit him like a sucker punch. Did his mother really block his number?

He tried to send the same message, but the same error happened. Had his parents really blocked his number? How could that be? Did they really not want to speak to him again? What about when the probation ends? Would he still be welcome at home?

He tried to sleep, tears rolling down his cheeks.

It was a tough ride home for Makoto. She was well aware of her shortcomings especially in the social department. Even the delinquent criminal hated her now. The truth was that part of her responsibility as the head of the student council, she was obliged to check in and help with those who were struggling. And yes, while it would look good on her college application to have helped Akira out, it wasn’t the main reason why she tried to help him. She had heard the rumours that flew about Shujin, and the effects that they had on him. While she couldn’t really blame him for snapping out at her, she still felt the full weight of his words.

His position reminded her of her years at middle school. She was the top of the class in elementary, due to the fact that she put all her effort into her schoolwork, hardly making friends or socialising. Once in middle school, her dad reminded her that school wasn’t exactly everything – in his words “Once you get older, you’ll wish you only had homework to worry about so enjoy your teenage years.” Makoto sighed as she recalled those words. Sae, her sister, was more harsh on her, wanting to see her succeed in a predominantly male-led society. Sae worked as a public prosecutor, she had worked long and hard in order to get where she was today, but she still wasn’t able to receive the same respect that any of her co-workers did.

As she made her way home, she wondered who would be there. Most of the time she was always the first home, she did the chores and cooked the food. As she entered her home she was surprised to see her father sprawled out on the couch, snoring loudly. Makoto’s father was a highly respected police officer who had an unwavering sense of justice. He was the prime source of inspiration for her dream of becoming police commissioner. He had spent countless years trying to keep the streets safe and Makoto wanted to carry on that legacy.

Makoto decided to make herself some coffee, she had a long day and just wanted to relax in her room with her Buchimaru cuddly toy. She had never grown out of Buchimaru, the one reminder she had of simpler days. She reminisced about her childhood trip to the aquarium, the ‘take your child to work day’ and the various other activities she enjoyed with her dad, before he had become very busy with work. It was tough for her to come home to an empty house most days, her heart yearned just for some time together with her family. Unfortunately, the world isn’t that kind.

As she made her way down to get her coffee, she had realised that her dad had awoken. It must have been the aroma that brought him back to life she thought, smiling to herself.

“How is my princess?” her father said with a wide smile.

“Daaaaad, you don’t have to call me that anymore.” Makoto groaned, much to her father’s amusement. “Would you like some coffee?”

“C’mon, at least give me this, you and Sae grew up too fast. I am sorry work has had me so busy” she hated when her father gave her that look. He was genuinely apologetic. She was about to pour her dad a cup of coffee when his phone rang.

“This is Niijima speaking.” “Yes.” “Really?” “This is my first time off in ages.” “Fine.”

Makoto knew that feeling all too well. Her father being called into work late. She sighed and decided to have an early night. She was getting tired of this, but she knew it was not his fault. Maybe tomorrow would be better.

_“We don’t love you anymore.”_

_“Go back to Tokyo, anywhere but here.”_

Akira was shocked. It was the end of his probation and his parents didn’t want anything to do with him. He had made no friends in Tokyo, and Sojiro certainly didn’t want him back.

What was he to do? He knocked on the door again.

“We’re calling the police.”

Akira shot up from his bed. Sweating bullets, he sighed of relief that it was just a dream and decided to go back to bed. Except he couldn’t. He tried to resend the text he made to his mother, only to be met with the same error. The nagging thoughts at the back of Akira’s head served as a reminder that even your parents can be against you.

**Thursday 14 th April 2016**

**Morning**

Akira had hardly any sleep that night. He sluggishly moved himself from his bed, trying his hardest to keep his eyes open. As he slipped on his glasses and went to brush his teeth, he remembered that today he was meant to meet Ryuji on the rooftop to discuss Kamoshida. He would be lying to himself if he thought that Kasumi’s injuries were 100% Kamoshida but Sumire seemed concerned for her safety.

He took his flask of coffee and took a sip. Not as good as Sojiro’s but close enough he thought to himself.

As he walked into station square, he heard a man talking.

“The young people in Japan have no future! We must ensure that we help our next generation to prosper!”

Akira recoiled as he heard this. Typical politicians, only out to get votes, he thought to himself.

School was rather uneventful. Akira met with Ryuji at lunch, they spoke about Kamoshida and manga. Once class was out, Akira made his way to the rooftop. Unknowingly, Akira had also brought Makoto up to the rooftop, her curiosity piqued by his mad dash up to the stairs.

Before they could get to business, Akira got a phone call.

“S-senpai, have you seen Kasumi today? She isn’t at school; I think she might be missing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, any feedback would be very much appreciated.
> 
> This one is a little shorter, but things should heat up a bit from here on out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, sorry for the delay but I really wanted to ensure this chapter was as good as it could be. It's also slightly longer than others so please enjoy.

“Sumire!” Akira could feel the panic in her voice. “You need to calm down! Tell me what happened!”

“She never came home yesterday, so I assumed she was with a friend... But she isn’t here at school, and my parents haven’t seen her either. Senpai... What if... What if... She is dead?” Akira noticed that her voice started to shake, as if she was about to start crying.

“Are you in school at the moment?” Akira was surprised at how assertive he had gotten. He needed to make sure Kasumi was found safe. “Can you come to the rooftop?”

“Okay senpai...”

Ryuji had noticed that all colour had disappeared from Akira’s face. Despite the fact that he was scared senseless, he had to stay strong, he had to find something to do. Hopelessness surrounded him, he was up against a rotten adult that was taking advantage of teenagers who didn’t know better. This wasn’t a video game where he could just summon a monster and kill Kamoshida there and then. This was real life, and it took a knock from Ryuji to stop him from overthinking.

“Dude! What’s up? You seem kinda out of it”

“It’s Kasumi. She... She has gone missing. I’ve told her sister to come up here, maybe it has something to do with Kamoshida.”

Ryuji’s eyes flared up. After hearing his past, Akira was totally understanding of his anger towards Kamoshida. He felt Ryuji was actually a good kid, weighed down with his horrible experiences with that horrible teacher. He had to do something before others became victims.

“That bastard. Do you reckon she has been kidnapped?” Ryuji was a ticking time bomb of anger. Akira had to help him before he did something reckless. “I’m going to kill that damn teacher. I don’t care what happens to me, he needs to go down.”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions here.” Akira gave an acknowledging smile. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep that façade up though. He was worried about Kasumi. Worried about Sumire. Worried about all of the other victims.

Before he could let his thoughts take hold of him again the rooftop door swung open. A tearful Sumire ran up to Akira.

“Y-you need to help me find her, I’m begging you!” The raw emotion of her face caused Akira to recoil. It was obvious that Kasumi meant so much to her, but what could he do that the police couldn’t?

“We will help find her, don’t worry.” In truth, Akira had no idea how he could possibly help, maybe split up and look for her?

Akira was too busy helping Sumire to see that Ryuji was slowly boiling over. Before he could try to calm down Ryuji made a mad dash towards the door.

“Sumire, you need to try and find her yourself for now. Is there any place you can think of that you spend together? Maybe she is just feeling down.” Akira hated lying through his teeth like that, but it was all he could do for now, to ensure that Ryuji didn’t get himself into any trouble. As he made his way down the stairs, he realised why Ryuji was the leader of the track team. He could hardly keep up to him as they both made their way to the PE faculty office.

“Ryuji…” Akira managed only that between large gasps of air. He was not as fit as he could be. “Let’s not do anything too hasty, we could really mess things up here.”

Ryuji looked back at him.

“I know… but that scumbag really needs to be brought down a peg or two.”

“We should really be helping Sumire…”

“Sumire? The girl from earlier? I don’t know if we can really help you know… Tokyo is huge an’ I don’t even know those two.” Ryuji opened the door and saw Kamoshida working at his desk. “What have you done to Kasumi you sick bastard?!” Akira stood alongside him, making sure that the track star’s anger wouldn’t get the better of him.

Kamoshida looked up from his laptop and turned to Ryuji. “Oh? Do you mean that stupid gymnastics bitch?” Akira recoiled. This had convinced him that it was Kamoshida who caused Kasumi’s injuries.

“You’re aware she is missing right?” Akira tried to sound calm, but his voice was shaky and sweat dripping from his forehead. The pent-up emotion seemed to overflow as he confronted Kamoshida. “What did you do to her?!” Kamoshida stood up, towering over Akira.

“Oh, is this the transfer student i’ve been hearing about? What are you going to do? Assault me? Scum like you shouldn’t even be in this school.” Akira grimaced as he recalled the horrific treatment he had received ever since he had arrived in Tokyo. “That stupid bitch Kasumi didn’t do what I say, so I showed her what I do to disobedient students. Don’t you understand? I could make or break her career with my recommendations.” Akira stood strong. He wasn’t going to fail one of the people who put faith into him. “Now, i’m happy to let this slide if you bring me her sister. That brat has avoided me.”

Akira had heard enough. “I’m not letting you go anywhere near her, stay away from her and Kasumi.” Akira felt oddly calm for a moment. He wasn’t going to let him ruin the lives of his friends. Akira thought back to his time in his hometown. He never was good at knowing when to stop. As much as he knew that not listening to that bastard’s demands would likely sacrifice his place at school, he couldn’t just sit back and watch this happen. He punched the desk in pure anger.

Kamoshida’s patience began to run thin. “Listen you brat.” He gripped Akira’s shirt. “I am the boss here, do you really think anyone is gonna believe the delinquent transfer student over me? A gold medal winner?”

Ryuji had been watching this event unfold. He wasn’t about to let Kamoshida hurt Akira, someone who he didn’t really know, but could emphasise with him. He also recalled his mother telling him that he doesn’t have to do all this just for her. He knew he was going to take a huge risk by doing this, but he was never one to play by the book.

“LEAVE HIM ALONE YOU ASSHOLE!” Ryuji let out a powerful shout as he ran towards Kamoshida. Kamoshida dropped Akira to the floor. Kamoshida moved out the way, his Olympic prowess allowing him the superior reflexes. Ryuji kept after him. In his blind fury, he didn’t notice that Kamoshida picked up a surrounding baseball bat.

Akira noticed what was about to occur.

“RYU-“

_Crack._

An ear splitting screech shot through Akira’s ears. He let out a gasp as he looked to see Ryuji doubled over in pain. His leg twisted in a way which shouldn’t be possible.

Kamoshida let out a smirk as he walked past Akira.

“If this gets out to anyone, the same will happen to you.” He whispered, letting out a soft chuckle.

Akira could hardly contain his fury, but at this point the most important thing was to ensure Ryuji’s safety.

Akira ran down the halls to the doctor’s office. His frenzied knocks met by a startled Dr Maruki.

“O-oh, Kurusu-san. What is the matter?” Maruki started to sip from his juice box as Akira had just explained that his friend’s leg is mangled. They both make a break for the PE faculty office, Maruki stopped the blood loss while Akira went to phone an ambulance. Except his phone was dead. He had to think on his feet. It was late enough in the day that it was likely that most teachers would go home, but who would still be here?

_That’s right._

He made a mad dash to the student council office. As expected, Makoto was found going through paperwork.

“Hey, um I need to borrow your phone for two seconds. It’s an emergency. My friend requires medical assistance.” Akira needed to apologise to her, but that would have to wait. “I also need to say something to you, but I don’t have the time.”

Makoto looked extremely concerned. “O-oh, of course do you need me to help?”

At this point, Akira would take all the help he could get.

“Sure, follow me.”

They ran towards the PE faculty office, with an ambulance swiftly dispatched to Shujin Academy. As the paramedics arrived on scene, Akira had decided to go on with them to the hospital, his friend’s health more of a priority than anything else.

It had been two long hours, luckily the hospital had let him charge his phone. He checked to see his messages.

**Sumire:**

I have found Kasumi… but we aren’t exactly on amicable terms right now… Did anything happen with Ryuji?

Before he could respond, he heard a familiar voice.

“Kurusu-kun, is Ryuji going to be okay?”

Makoto. Again.

“Makoto? It is a surprise to see you here.” Akira said with a pleasant smile. He was too tired to continue his bickering with her, so he treated her cordially so not to cause a scene in the middle of the hospital.

“I thought I’d check in since I live close.”

Whether that was the truth or not, Akira respected her for that. It’s not like you would get extra credit for visiting students in the hospital.

A doctor came and informed them that they could not see him today as he had to undergo emergency surgery.

“Sorry to cut our time short, but I need to go now, I’m sure my guardian is not happy with me being out this late. If you’d like, we can exchange numbers and I’ll tell you about it when I reach home.”

Makoto looked at the floor, hoping to hide the fact that her face was beginning to feel warm. No boy had ever asked her for her number, not even her friends.

“S-sure.” They held their phones together to exchange information.

Little did she know, Akira needed her in his pursuit of Kamoshida. He wouldn’t let him get away with this.

* * *

Panic set in. It had been about an hour since Akira had left to stop Ryuji being reckless. She had checked everywhere imaginable, from their favourite ice cream shop, to where they’d train with their coach.

She had to think back. Where did they always go to relax? She remembered one summer afternoon; they recently had got home from a competition in which both of them placed very well. They went to a park, and shared happy memories. Maybe she was there?

As she made her way to Inokashira Park, she feared the worst. What if all the pressure from school got to her and she decided to jump in the river? She wouldn’t be able to live without her sister.

As she approached one of the park’s many benches, she came across a familiar face. Relief washed over her body as she ran towards her beloved sister. Her face dropped as soon as she saw her face. Bruises all over, eyes bloodshot like she had just been crying for too long and most horrifically she had a brace around her knee. This wasn’t good, they had a competition coming up. Would she be okay to participate?

“S-sis? Are you okay?” Sumire ran up to her, hugging her. Unusually, the gesture wasn’t returned. As Sumire pulled out she saw Kasumi look at her, an angry look on her face.

“Why are you here?” she said sternly. “I’ll go home soon, please leave me alone.” Sumire recoiled at her statement. This wasn’t the Kasumi she knew and loved. She wasn’t used to this but she had to be strong, for her sister’s sake.

“Kasumi…” she knew that was a risky thing to ask, but for once she needed to take charge. “Did Mr Kamoshida do this to you?”

Sumire must’ve struck a nerve with that question, as Kasumi started to flinch.

“What would you know?! Stay out of my business.” Sumire had never seen this side of Kasumi before. “All you ever do is cling on to me! You exhaust me Sumire! You’ll never make it into the world of gymnastics, you might as well give up. Kamoshida is just helping me for this upcoming competition, that’s all.”

Sumire felt the world closing in on her, Kasumi’s words suffocating her. She was never confidant in her own abilities but Kasumi inspired her. She wanted to stand on the world stage with her sister. Sumire tried her hardest to keep the tears in, but the dam had to burst eventually.

“Don’t try to weigh me down any further. All you have been to me is a constant source of stress.”

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. She never wanted to be a burden on her sister, but it seemed that was what she was. Kasumi always looked so happy to her, Sumire grimaced as she realised that she was standing in the way of her sister’s dreams. Kasumi had always told her that they would go to the international stage together, but it had seemed that the gap between their abilities had grown too far now. Before, Kasumi and Sumire would always get #1 and #2 respectively, but now the gap was a painful truth that Sumire realised. She would never be as good as her sister.

Those words felt like daggers in her back. Did Kasumi really mean what she said? Was she holding back her true feelings just for the sake of her?

“I am going home now.” Kasumi stood up and hobbled away.

Sumire had no idea what to do, while her sister was okay, her self confidence shattered. Without gymnastics just who was she?

She tried to call Akira to let her know about Kasumi being found, but the call just wouldn’t go through. So, she sent him a text telling him about Kasumi being found and asking how Ryuji went.

With her head hanging down she made her way home, Kasumi’s words eating away at her.

* * *

Akira had finally made his way to Yongen-Jaya. He knew he was in for an earful once he returned to Leblanc. As he walked down the main road, he noticed the second-hand shop was about to pack up for the night. He glanced and saw that a CRT TV was heavily discounted. At 9000 yen, it was still a sizable amount of money for a television that old, but if it could keep him entertained through this year, then it would be worth it. Despite having a pretty hard exterior, Akira found even little tasks to be quite intimidating for him. He wasn’t familiar at all with how life in Tokyo was, yet he had to be strong to help Ryuji and make the most out of this year.

“Can I buy the TV?” he murmured.

The old man’s eyes lit up.

“Of course! That will be 9000 yen! Oh, and i’ll also throw in a DVD player and a DVD for you. Sound good?” Akira nodded. “Aren’t you the boy who lives in Leblanc? We can get it delivered to you tomorrow.” Akira realised that they must’ve had that TV for a long time since the shopkeeper seemed all too happy to get rid of it.

Akira was met with a disgruntled Sojiro as he opened the door.

“Do you know how long i’ve been waiting for you?”

“It’s a long story but it involved a trip to the hospital.” Akira was tired and didn’t want to explain the exact story to him as he was sure Sojiro wouldn’t buy it.

“Just don’t do it again. I don’t want to wait for hours just so I can go home, okay?” Akira nodded. “I’m locking up now. I won’t hesitate to hand you over to the police if anything goes missing.”

“Excuse me.” Sojiro turned around “Is it okay to make some coffee while you’re gone?” Akira asked, fully expecting him to refuse.

“Sure,just don’t use the blue mountain beans though.”

Akira wanted to learn how to make coffee because he hoped that would bring him closer to Sojiro. If he could get Sojiro on his side then it would make this year a whole lot easier.

Cup of coffee in tow, Akira made his way to his bed. He needed to sleep but he also needed to formulate a plan on how to get Kamoshida arrested. He had no faith in the police, but what else could a schoolkid do? He couldn’t do it by himself, he needed others with him. He was sure he could get Sumire to help and maybe even Dr Maruki. Akira felt that Maruki was different to all the other adults, maybe it was the fact that he was fresh out of college, but he thought that Maruki would at least listen to what he had to say.

He pulled out his phone and decided to call Sumire, deciding that what happened today couldn’t be summarised in a text.

The phone rung a bit, then Sumire picked up.

“S-senpai?! What’s up?”

“It’s about Ryuji… He is currently in the hospital at the moment, he got into a fight with Kamoshida.” Akira heard a faint gasp but decided to continue. “Well… more like he was protecting me, he was talking crap about you and your sister so I stood up for him.”

“Is he going to be okay?” Sumire made obvious her concern for him.

“I think he will live, but his leg is pretty mashed up. It will be hard for him to return to the track team I think. Also, what happened when you found Kasumi?”

“I found her at the park. She was even more beaten than the last time I saw her. It must really be affecting her, she said some pretty hurtful stuff to me too…” Akira could hear her voice trailing off. “Like how I’ve just been a huge burden on her and how I should just leave her alone.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t mean it…” Akira knew that the abuse must be getting to Kasumi, causing her to snap at her sister. “Can we meet at the rooftop tomorrow? We will stop Kamoshida. I promise.”

“Y-yes. We must stop him, not just for Ryuji and sis but for all the potential victims.”

“Goodnight Sumire. See you tomorrow.”

As he put the phone down, he couldn’t help but feel regretful. What might have happened if he had believed Ryuji from the start? Would he have been able to avoid Ryuji’s accident? Maybe he should have taken the hit for Ryuji instead, he has no future while Ryuji had a bright future in track… He had to take that bastard down. Not just for his friends, but for everyone at Shujin.

This newfound determination led to an idea.

He got his phone out and texted Makoto:

**Akira:**

Hey, can you get me in contact with him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I am super happy with how it turned out. I have also noticed we have reached over 1000 hits! I never imagined we could get this far, not to mention in only 1 week.
> 
> As always, if you have feedback feel free to comment.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 9, this is a slower one but we get some development on some characters, hope you enjoy!

Makoto had no idea what happened to Ryuji.  She had been filing paperwork until she saw a flustered Akira run into the student council office and asked for her phone . Seeing the panic in his face and after hearing his explanation, she obliged. All she saw was Dr  Maruki tending to Ryuji’s leg, and Akira  trying to phone an ambulance. She found herself confused as to why they were outside the PE faculty office at that time, as far as she was aware there were no club activities this early on in the year.

Before she could get any news out of Akira ,  him and Ryuji had already went to the hospital. She walked up to a shaken Dr  Maruki , eager to gain  some knowledge of the situation. She knew that if the student body found out about this, then there would be unrest. She couldn’t afford for this to happen .

“Excuse me  Maruki , do you know what happened here? ”

Maruki picked up his glasses and looked at Makoto.

“Kurusu-san ran to the office, asking for my support , his friend’s leg looked pretty mangled though, almost like it got hit with a baseball bat. I don’t think he will recover for a while.”

Makoto winced, did Akira do this? Maybe as revenge  for the assault on him? But why would he call the ambulance for him? Makoto knew these thoughts racing around her head weren’t exactly  needed, but she had to think logically about this . Makoto had always been like this, it had lent her well in being the Student Council President . However this meant she wasn’t very adept socially.

She had decided to go home earlier that day, allowing her to make a start on the household chores and making dinner.  As she entered she was met with a familiar sight. No one was home . As she started the laundry, she thought back to the rooftop . They were talking about  Kamoshida up there and Ryuji was found injured outside of the PE faculty office. Makoto recoiled as she put one and one together, there was no way  Kamoshida did that, and what about the other girl who got injured because of him? There was no way this could happen, especially if it was underneath her nose this entire time. How would  the student body and more importantly, Principal  Kobayakawa react to all this? There was no way she could be expected to carry on as student council president if she didn’t solve this. Even worse she would likely lose her recommendation to her desired college. What would her dad do in this situation? He was always set on the path of justice, so if  Kamoshida was in the wrong here, she needed to find out. She packed up her stuff and made her way to the hospital, which was only a ten minute walk.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t get any information from the hospital as Ryuji had to undergo emergency surgery, and Akira had to leave so he didn’t get in trouble with his  carer . Luckily, Akira had told Makoto he would tell her everything over the phone, he just needed her phone number. Makoto had tried her best to avoid her  embarrassment , but she could feel her cheeks start to warm. No one had ever asked to talk with her on the phone, let alone a boy. After Akira left, she decided to make her way back home.

She was expecting to still be alone when she got home but was surprised when she saw her sister sitting on the sofa, looking stressed.

Makoto gave her sister a worried look.

“What happened sis?”

After a long sigh, she finally spoke.

“I’ve had a long day today, there has been rumours going around that a gang have been recruiting young people to do drug runs, however we can’t even lay a finger on whoever’s orchestrating this mess.”

Makoto knew that her sister was under a lot of pressure. Sae  Niijima spent her whole life trying to get ahead, much to their father’s dismay. She knew from the get go that it would be harder for her, but she managed to become one of the most respected members of the Public  Prosecutors Office. Makoto admired her dearly for that, and she wanted to be just like her sister when she got out of college. 

Like clockwork, her father came through the door. She was excited as this was a rare occurrence where they could all sit down together and have a meal. They were all so busy with work, she had to cherish these rare moments.

Smiles graced the two sister’s faces as they saw their father come in. 

“Dad! Will you be joining us for dinner?” Makoto asked, her endearing smile almost contagious.

“Of course! I specifically told the station I will not be accepting any calls from them tonight. It has been too long since I spent some time with my daughters.” 

The two looked up at him in surprise. He had a  one track mind, and that track was going to justice town.

“And what would you like today?” Sae asked. She wasn’t the best at cooking but she had always made sure that the food was edible.

“Surprise me.” The sisters looked at each other, shared a smile and made their way to the kitchen.

As they started preparing the dish, they  reminisced about the past.

“Makoto, remember when dad had to build that pillow fort with you when there was a storm? I bet you are still scared, aren’t you?” 

Makoto’s face turned red. “I’m not scared of it anymore, I've grown out of  it now.”

Sae giggled. Makoto retorted with “Remember that time when you cried since you couldn’t get a Jack Frost plushie at the arcade? And dad had to get you one since you wouldn’t stop crying?” Makoto gave a smug smile as she believed she had won their argument. 

By the time they had finished their bickering the food was ready. As they started to plate it up, they made their way into the dining room.

“This looks amazing girls!” Makoto thought he should wait until tasting it before coming to such positive conclusions, Sae was in charge after all. 

As they began to eat, the conversation drifted to how their days went. Their father went first. It was largely a routine day for him, just filling out paperwork. Makoto knew all he wanted to do was arrest criminals, but thanks to him Japan was a lot safer than before.

“How about you Sae, got any leads on that criminal gang?” Her father asked. The  Nijiima family all had a common goal – to ensure justice was set about. 

Sae scowled. “Nope, they are untouchable right now. They are hiding very well.” 

“We’ll get them, I'm sure of  it Sae.” The determination coming from his voice gave them all extra motivation. “Once we do, they will spend a lot of time behind bars. I will make sure of that. I don’t want them taking advantage of kids. I’ll find them myself if I have to.” His tangent had caused Sae to lose her patience, the last sentence particularly annoying her.

“Just be careful okay? One day you’ll run into something, then start talking about justice and you could get killed.” Sae gave a disapproving look to her father. Sae had always been career minded, and this had led to her being extremely mature as a child and even going into her adult years. Makoto grimaced while she heard this. She couldn’t imagine her father dying trying to uphold his justice.

“Sae... I live each day knowing that something like that could happen. But I can’t sleep at night knowing that criminals roam the streets, while nothing is being done.” Sae did nothing but scowl.

“How was school Makoto?”

“Nothing much happened, had to speak to the new kid recently. He has been having trouble settling in so I tried to help him out. I can’t help but have a feeling that he is perhaps innocent.” She looked over to her father. “Is- is it possible for the justice system to be corrupt?” She flinched as she said this, expecting a harsh response but instead looked down.

“Yes. Everyone and anyone can be corrupted by their distorted desires. I want to weed out the police force so we can be a pillar of integrity.” Makoto was thrown off guard by this statement. On one hand, how could the police force be corrupt? They were supposed to be the image of justice itself. On the other hand, if anyone could be corrupted by their distorted desires, it could mean that  Kamoshida was in fact guilty. With this revelation, Makoto excused herself as she made her way up into her room. 

She went on her phone and realised she had received a message from Akira. 

** Akira: **

Can you get me in contact with him?

Makoto wondered what he meant by that so asked for further clarification.

** Makoto: **

Who?

** Akira: **

Groro Aketchi I think his name was? The detective guy.

Makoto couldn’t help but giggle at his text.

** Makoto: **

Do you mean Goro  Akechi ? Why do you need him? 

** Akira: **

If I'm going to take down that  Kamoshida I will need all the help I can get. 

** Makoto: **

And why should I do that when I have no idea what you are talking about?

Makoto was not expecting a phone call, so she took some deep breaths before deciding to pick up.

“Listen,  Kamoshida’s been abusing students, it is thanks to him that Ryuji’s leg is messed up now. He has also abused another one of my friends.”

Makoto was shocked to hear this, why should she believe the delinquent transfer student? Surely if something like this had happened then someone would have  spoke up to her about it.

“I’m not sure I believe what you are saying.” Her stern tone echoed through the phone.

“That’s fine, I’ll find my own way to speak to him then.” Akira’s tone started to hurry. “I can’t let rotten, corrupt adults take advantage of my friends.” That statement had resonated with Makoto, reminding her of what her father had said.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akechi had just finished at his internship. It was interesting to see the many cases that went on day by day but he had noticed that it began to get boring. There wasn’t many arrests happening, he was just stuck doing  administrative work. He wanted to discover some cases for himself, and bring the rotten adults into the light of justice and the truth. Ever since then...

_ “Mom! Mom! Look at me, when I’m older I'm going to stop all the bad guys.” He exclaimed as he made his way to her, clenching a laser gun. _

_ “I’ll need you to protect me when you get older, okay?”  _ _ Akechi _ _ nodded as he smiled at his mother.” _

Those were the good days of course, before that happened...

_ “What’s a hit and run? Where’s mom?” _

He could only remember men dressed in black, announcing that his mother had died. He remembered going from orphanage to orphanage, being treated terribly and bullied mercilessly. It was at that time he discovered his love for being a detective. It started with him discovering culprits of who stole from the cookie jar in one of the many orphanages he had been shipped to. His father had been entirely absent at the time, causing his mother to have to raise him alone. He always assumed his father to be a scumbag, but his intense desire to uncover the truth peaked when he realised that his father was some sort of government official. Maybe she was ordered to be killed. But for now, he settled for becoming an intern hoping to climb the ranks. His sole interest was uncovering the truth of what actually happened with his mother.

But for today he just wanted to enjoy himself. It wasn’t often he had free time, and most times when he did, he would use the time productively. As he made his way on to the train to  Kichijoji he remembered meeting with Makoto in the café on Central Street in Shibuya. It was at that time he met Akira Kurusu, who piqued his interest. He didn’t seem like much of a criminal, yet it looked like he was hiding something. His train of thought was interrupted by his arrival at Kichijoji.

Kichijoji’s nightlife was bustling, but it still didn’t make him any less lonely. Ever since the internship offered free  accommodation , he bit at the offer. Because of that, he didn’t have many friends. He was in his last year of “high school” per se. He didn’t actually go to a school, but he was studying hard for entrance exams nonetheless.

He made his way to Penguin Sniper, one of his go to hang out spots. He was a keen darts and billiards player, and prided himself on how good he was at it. He desired for a training partner though, someone on his level that could push him to become even better. 

After spending an hour or so rotating between the two, he had decided to go to his next hangout location – The Jazz  Jin . He was on good terms with the owner there, and always scored a discount. He still wasn’t old enough to drink, but he was happy enough to soak in the atmosphere as it helped him to relax.

As he was enjoying the smooth jazz, he received a phone call. 

“Hello, it’s Makoto.”

“Oh? What can I do for you?”  Akechi was intrigued, it wasn’t often that him and Makoto spoke to each other over the phone.

“That new kid at school wants your help with something. There is a possibility that a teacher at  Shujin Academy is abusing students and he thinks you could help in the investigation.”

“Oh? Colour me interested. Give him my number and tell him to contact me. Surely you would want to get involved too? It would look good for you as the student council president if you were a part of this.”  Akechi said, a smirk appearing on his face.

“I’ll consider it, I haven’t even heard the whole story yet. I’ll tell him to contact you.

Akechi put the phone down, a wide smile covering his face. This was just the  opportunity he was waiting for. Not only would he be able to get justice, but he would also be able to learn more about the  mysterious Akira Kurusu, who was perhaps more interesting than the case itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. How will Goro Akechi help Akira and crew go against Kamoshida?


	10. Chapter 10

“Hello, is this Goro Akechi I’m speaking to?” Akira couldn’t actually believe that Makoto had actually helped him out there.  He wasn’t even sure if  Akechi would help him, but at this point he  needed any and all help he could get.  If they could somehow catch him in the act then that would mean they would have irrefutable evidence that he was the scumbag that no one believed him to be.

“ I heard you require my help? ” Akira noticed that he almost sounded  too happy to be asked for assistance . 

“I hear you are busy, and that’s fine but I need help. Otherwise others will suffer.” Akira was surprised at the conviction in his own voice. He was serious.

“Busy? I’m only on television once or twice, it’s nothing major.” Akechi let out a small chuckle. “In fact, I'm actually pretty interested in you.” This threw Akira off guard.

“Me?”

“Well... Makoto told me a lot about you, and I'm not lying when I say you have certainly piqued my interest. I know a café down in Yongen-Jaya called Leblanc, how would you like to meet tomorrow evening? It would be nice to discuss things, after all.”

Akira didn’t know what to say. Akechi was interested in him? He knew Leblanc? He decided not to tell Akechi about his involvement with Leblanc.

“That should be fine. See you then.”

Akira put the phone down his heart beating rapidly. He knew this operation would require grand thinking on his part but he wouldn’t back down, regardless of the fact that he was scared. He needed to be strong, just this once. He knew that his case would be more valid if he had a teacher on his side, but no teacher would ever believe him. Maybe Maruki would, so Akira made a mental note to see him at lunchtime tomorrow.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

** Friday,15 ** ** th ** ** April 2016 **

** Early Morning, Leblanc **

Akira knew he had a busy day on his hands, he needed to visit Ryuji in the hospital, see Maruki at lunch and speak to Akechi at Leblanc. After eating the curry made for breakfast (Akira swore it got better every time he tried it) he made his way to the train station. After buying a smoothie that was said to increase his guts, he made his way onto the train heading into Shibuya – playing all the events of today in his head. He knew trying to convince Maruki would be tough, but after seeing what happened to Ryuji’s leg, surely he would be willing to help him. Akechi was more difficult to understand. During their phone call last night, it was almost like he was too excited to be involved. He just had to lay down the situation and ask for his help. 

As he made his way to the Ginza line, he ran into Sumire. She looked gloomy, but he needed to explain his plan to her. 

“Sumire?” Akira had to make sure he got the right person.

“Senpai? What’s up?” Her face lit up a bit as she saw Akira, but he could tell she was still hurting from her sister’s words.

“We are going to stop Kamoshida. I’ll do whatever I can, to get justice for you, your sister and Ryuji.” 

“B-but how... you aren’t exactly the most popular person in the school. How will you get people to believe you?” Akira noticed a fleeting glimmer of hope in her voice.

“I’m trying to enlist some outside help. You know that detective boy that is on TV sometimes? I’m meeting with him today to discuss what I'm planning to do.”

“How did you even get to know him? He’s super famous you know.” Sumire had a surprised look on her face. 

“Well, maybe it was fate.” Akira chuckled to himself.

Akira noticed Sumire looked like she wanted to say something. 

“What’s up? You seem like you are hiding something.” 

“Senpai... I really want to help you out... please... for my sister.” Sumire struggled to keep tears from forming in her eyes.

Akira had to let her help.

“Of course. How would you like to join me in seeing Ryuji in the hospital after school today? I would like to check up on him.”

“That sounds good! I’ll wait for you at the entrance of the school after classes finish, is that okay?” Sumire looked a bit nervous.

“Yes of course.” Akira found asking Sumire to help out a bit difficult, he had never asked a girl to do anything with him before.

As they made their way to Shujin they heard whispers.

“I hear Class 2-D is getting another transfer student today...”

“Another criminal? I don’t know how much I can take to be honest...”

“It’s a girl who came from Kosei High... I hear she is an excellent shogi player.”

Sumire looked to Joker, a small smile forming on her face. 

“Looks like you won’t be the butt of all rumours, at least for today.”

Akira chuckled. “We’ll see how long that lasts...”

As Akira made his way up to his class, homeroom began.

Kawakami looked tired as ever, as she stood beside a tall girl, with long dark brown hair and emerald eyes.

“Class, today we have a new student joining us. Please introduce yourself.”

“My name is Hifumi Togo, it is a pleasure to meet you all.”

As she made her introduction, Kawakami pointed at the seat in front of Akira.

Whispers began to spread across the room before one brave student popped up with:

“You’re sitting her close to the criminal? There’s no saying what he could do to her.”

Akira winced. Kawakami sighed and continued on with her speech.

“If you could share your textbooks for today, that would be appreciated.”

Murmurs filled the room, as Hifumi made her way to her seat.

“Hey...” Akira whispered as he handed her his text book. 

“Thanks.” She smiled softly as she continued with her work.

The whispers continued as his classmates mistook it for an advance. He kept his head down, continuing his work. He was so engrossed he almost didn’t realise that lunch was approaching. Once the bell rung he made his way to Dr Maruki’s office.

“Excuse me.” Akira’s focus was cut when he saw Hifumi next to him. “Thanks for giving your textbook earlier. Do you want it back?” In his rush, Akira forgot to get his book back. After mentally berating himself for forgetting, he took it back. 

“Thanks.” He made his way to see Maruki to hide his embarrassment. As he knocked on the door, he heard the familiar but friendly voice that felt oddly calming.

“Come in!”

He turned to see Akira, and his expression stiffened a little.

“Oh, Kurusu-san! How can I help today?”

Akira turned to close the door and then looked at Maruki.

“I need to talk about what happened yesterday.”

“With Sakamoto-kun? Listen, it wasn-”

“I need your help. To get the person who did this out of the school.”

Maruki looked a little confused, but continued. “U-umm... Can you give me a name? I can give it to the behavioural team, full confidentiality of course.”

Akira looked back at him, he could feel the anger rising up.

“It’s not a student, it’s a teacher.” Akira clenched his fists. He was nervous. He just wanted to go back home, but he knew that wouldn’t be possible. He wasn’t supposed to do this, he had been dragged into it ever since that bastard Kamoshida made it personal with his friends. In reality he was just an average schoolboy, but this monumental task was really pushing his boundaries.

Maruki looked shocked.

“Y-you’re telling me a teacher did this to him?”

“It’s the PE teacher, Kamoshida. He has hurt two of my friends. I don’t have anyone else to talk to about this, no one will listen to me.” Akira looked down, trying his hardest to gain his composure.

Maruki stayed silent.

“If I don’t do something about this, then it’s likely he will just continue his abuse of students. You are the only one I can trust, if I'm being honest with you then the truth is that without you it’s likely I wouldn’t be able to stop him. Please.” 

Maruki looked up at him.

“I’m not sure I'd be able to do much...”

“Well... It would be a shame if you conveniently walked in on someone getting abused.”

“Is that what you want me to do? I might be able to... but even so... what if they don’t believe me?” Maruki looked genuinely concerned.

“I have to do something. It was my arrogance that led to me friend getting his kneecap smashed with a baseball bat. I tried to stand up to him and look where it got me. Sometimes I think it would be easier to give up, but if I do then that means I've failed the few who put their trust in me.” A single tear dropped onto his lap. “I didn’t expect this to happen but this is the situation I am in. If you could lend your help that would be great. They are the only people who has seen through the web of lies that were spun about me. If it was tough at first for me, no one believed me but I can’t leave them behind. If you don’t want to help that is fine.” The tears were uncontrollable now. He was always someone who minded his own business in his hometown but this time was different.

Maruki looked at him, sadness covering his face. “Akira-san... You are a good guy. I’ll do what I can.” Akira looked up at him smiling. “Just let me know once your plan is finalised, and what you need me to do. Also, you should probably take these.”

Maruki handed him some snacks and some tissues. Akira wiped his eyes and made his way to class. With some newfound determination, he made his way to afternoon class. Time seemed to go extra fast for him, before he knew it his class was over and he was on his way to meet Sumire. 

“Senpai! Are you ready to go?” Akira gave her a quick nod as he made his way to the train station. As they got on the train, Akira told Sumire about the plan formulating in his head.

“I’ve got Maruki on my side, I was speaking to him at lunch about it. Maybe we could get a decoy to go into Kamoshida’s office, and have Maruki come in at just the right time.” As Akira outlined his plan to her, he saw her eyes light up.

“I can be decoy, senpai!” Akira was thrown off by the tenacity that Sumire showed, it was unlike her, but she seemed very determined. 

“No. Not after what your sister went through, I couldn’t stomach you doing that.” Sumire sighed and shook her head. Before she could voice her argument, the train had arrived.

They made their way to the hospital, and into the waiting room while they waited for their chance to see Ryuji.  It was lonely in the hospital, only the surrounding  beeps and small chatter reminded them that they were not alone.

Their silence broke when  a doctor arrived, ushering them  into the room. Ryuji was on the bed, looking  good, but without his signature  smi le . It was tough at first for Akira to face him, it was his fault he’s now in hospital. It was his fault that his dreams of becoming a track star were shattered  in one blow. He had to apologise.

“Hey guys! Man I knew people said hospital food was bad, but I wasn’t expecting this level of bad.” He smirked a bit .

“R-ryuji...” Akira’s voice was wavering.  “I’m sorry , it is all my fault  that this happened to you, it’s just that  damn Kamoshida really touched my nerves.”

“Awh man, don’t worry yourself about it, after all my mother  said I don’t have to fight for her anymore.  She just wanted me to  carry on being me. I had to take  him on eventually, I’m glad I have others who believe me now. I don’t know what happened to the track team, but I guess it will be  shut down now.” Ryuji’s face dropped. The track team was the one thing keeping him from going full on delinquent, without it he would have no reason to behave, he never was the academic type after all.

“I’m not sure...” Akira began to hesitate . “But I will bring Kamoshida to justice, I have tried to bring in some others to help me.  I spoke with Maruki...”

“The councillor guy?! You got him on board?!  Awesome!”

“I’m also about to go and have a chat with the ‘Detective Prince’, it seems he wants to help us out too. He will be delivered by justice, it’s the last thing I could do for you. Especially after helping me out.”

Ryuji let off a small smile. “You don’t have to go all that way for me, but if you do make sure he gets it good. I wish I was there to beat the shit out of him.”

Akira was determined to see this through, regardless of what happened to himself.

“Senpai, we won’t let you down.” Sumire was determined. Akira wasn’t just doing this for Ryuji, it was for the Yoshizawa sisters too. for the Yoshizawa sisters too.

“No need for such formality, Sumire! We are all friends here, each with a common goal.”

Sumire nodded, and as Akira was about to pack up his things and leave the room, Ryuji spoke up.

“Hey. You think you could maybe sneak me in some beef bowl? I’ve been craving it recently.”

Akira let out a soft sigh and looked at Ryuji. “You’ve only been here for a day. But I'll see what I can do.”

Ryuji perked up. “For real?! Thanks man. See you soon, good luck with that detective guy.”

“See you.”

As they walked towards the train station, the conversation drifted towards Akira’s meeting with Akechi.

“So, how are you meeting him?”

“At a café in Yongen-Jaya.”

“Do you mean Leblanc?” Akira was taken aback that even  Sumire knew about Leblanc. 

“Yes. How do you know about Leblanc?”

“Well... It has some of the best coffee around, so it would be weird if I didn’t know about it” She let out a small giggle. “Let me go with you. Maybe we could formulate a plan together.”

Once again, Akira found himself surprised with how motivated  Sumire was. It was clear to him that she really wanted to fight for her sister.

Once they reached  Yongen -Jaya, Akira turned to Sumire.

“I have a confession to make.”

Sumire suddenly turned a bright shade of red.

“I actually live in Leblanc. The owner is my  carer , for my probation period.”

Sumire seemed to grow even more embarrassed. 

“O-oh... Really?”

“Yes. I don’t know how he will react when we walk through that door.”

As he walked through the door, he was expecting to meet  Sojiro’s judgement, but instead a note was left, along with a key.

_ I feel like I can trust you now. _

_ Make sure you lock up every night. AND NO FUNNY BUSINESS. _

Akira was relieved, he took the key and directed  Sumire to a booth.

As they sat down, Akira looked at the clock.

“He should be here any time so-”

He heard the familiar chime of the bell that signified someone had just entered. 

Akechi brought someone with him though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all.
> 
> I think I will upload Monday - Wednesday - Friday.
> 
> Let me know if you think this okay, please continue to give feedback. It really helps me out!


	11. Chapter 11

Goro  Akechi wasn’t alone. He had brought Makoto with him. Akira sighed as he went back to gazing at the multiple types of coffee bean that  Sojiro kept on the shelf behind the counter. Akira was getting better at making coffee, he had been practicing so much in his limited free time that he felt it was now a staple in his diet, along with the well-known Leblanc curry. As he wasn’t sure what Kasumi liked, he went for the  Cuban Crystal Mountain beans – he knew from a previous conversation with  Sojiro that these beans produced coffee which wasn’t too acidic, and fairly sweet. As he got to grinding the beans, he noticed that  Akechi and Makoto had decided to sit up at the bar. 

“You work here? How interesting.”  Akechi gave a small smile. 

“Something like that. Can I get you two anything?” Akira asked, making sure to avoid eye contact with Makoto.

“We will just have whatever the girl is having. Is that good for you, Makoto?”  Akechi looked at the student council president sitting next to him.

“Yes.” She had pulled out a book, and looked like she was studying. 

Akira started to grind the beans. He still wasn’t so sure about how fine to grind them, but he was getting better. His mind trailed to Makoto. Why was she here? Was she planning to rat him out? It wouldn’t surprise him. 

As he poured the water, he shouted over to Sumire.

“Do you need any milk or sugar?” 

“I’m fine thanks senpai.” She let a soft smile out.

After he had made  Sumire’s coffee, he brought it to her. She whispered to him.

“Senpai? You didn’t tell me she would be here.”

“I wasn’t expecting it either. We should watch what we say.” Akira smiled to her. He hoped she liked the coffee, it was the first time he had ever made coffee for someone besides  Sojiro who just wanted to taste test.

As he was making his way to the bar, he heard  Sumire take a sip of his coffee.

“This is pretty good senpai! How long have you been practicing?” she exclaimed happily.

“Honestly  Sumire , I'm sure it’s nothing special. This is the first time I've made coffee for anyone but  Sojiro .”

Both Makoto and  Akechi turned their heads to look at the booth behind them.

“ Sumire Yoshizawa? One of the gymnast sisters?”  Akechi inquired. 

“Aren’t you a  first year student at  Shujin Academy? As student council president you can always come to me with any concerns you may have.” 

Sumire’s face turned red as she answered the questions that the two had for her. Akira kept his head down while he got to work on the other two brews that were ordered.

“Akira, how did you become  acquainted with Yoshizawa-san?” Akira looked up to see  Akechi looking at him, almost like he was trying to analyse Akira.

“We met on the first day of school, we saw each other on the train.”

Akechi seemed satisfied with that response, but  Sumire let out a small giggle.

“Oh, senpai. The truth was he helped me and my sister out on that train. We were being harassed by some sleezy guy and he came to help us out.” 

Akira tried to hide his blushing cheeks, but to no avail as his face heated up.

“I was only doing what anyone else would do in that situation.” He was no good at accepting praise. He started to grind more of the beans he had used earlier. It was now time for Makoto to ask a question.

“How is Ryuji?”

Akira could feel his grip on the grinder grow tighter. He forgot that Makoto knew about the incident. Avoiding eye contact with her, he explained how he went to visit him in the hospital. 

“He seems to be in high spirits, despite the situation he is in.” Akira avoided eye contact with her. He was still incredibly suspicious of her, and thought she was at Leblanc for her own gains. “It really looks like he won’t be running again. I’m surprised he is taking it so well.”

Makoto looked down at her book, she wasn’t expecting it to be that serious. As Akira made his way to the sink to wash a cup, he felt like someone was giving him a glare that went straight through him. 

“You still haven’t told me what actually happened, you know.” Akira made his way back to the bar, and started pouring the coffee into cups. “You say it’s  Kamoshida but I don’t believe you. That wouldn’t happen without parents and teachers knowing about it, even I would have heard about this.”

These words riled Akira up but he had to remain calm, he needed  Akechi on his side.

“It was  him, I saw what he did to Ryuji.” He slid  Akechi and Makoto their drinks. 

“My compliments to the brewer! This coffee is wonderful.” Akira was happy with Akechi’s compliment. Makoto thought the same, but she didn’t want to say that. 

“With all due respect, you aren’t exactly  believable . You probably just got back at him for assaulting you.  Kamoshida is a highly respected alumni of  Shujin Academy, he wouldn’t jeopardise his career like that in a school environment.”

To Akira’s surprise,  Akechi came to his defense.

“Makoto, teachers can abuse the power they have. It’s happened before. The least we should do is hear him out.”

Makoto was embarrassed, she carried on reading her book. She knew it was a possibility, but acknowledging it meant that she was also admitting to her own failings. It was her job as student council president to ensure that the student body was safe, and if a scandal like that had been happening all along then it would look horrific.

“Well, with all due respects  Niijima -san, I don’t really remember you being invited here.” His words laced with  poison, he really wasn’t happy she was there. He had to be careful of what he told  Akechi now. “I was there when  Kamoshida assaulted Ryuji. It is my fault he is in the hospital now. What don’t you understand? I bet you’ve been told to keep quiet about it.”

Makoto looked down.  Sumire was shocked at the sudden outburst, while  Akechi looked like he was loving every second of this.

“Tch. I’m sorry for lashing out at you, I let my emotions get the better of me.”

Before Makoto could respond  Akechi put down his cup and looked at Akira. 

“Well, this is starting to get interesting.”

Sumire had finished her coffee, and made her way up to the bar.

“ Niijima -senpai. I think my sister was a victim of his abuse too. She went to see  Kamoshida for training, and she came back bruised and battered.”

Makoto looked at her book, struggling to comprehend the wave of realisation that had just hit her. Was it really possible that Suguru  Kamoshida would do such a thing?

“Hmm.”  Akechi took to his usual thinking position, which was broadcasted onto TV. “Makoto, you told me his kneecap looked shattered right?” Makoto gave him a quick nod. “Akira, do you mind relaying the events of yesterday to me?”

Akira gave a quick nod. “On that day, Ryuji,  Sumire and I had met on the rooftop in order to discuss the disappearance of  Sumire’s sister.”  Sumire gave a quick nod, as if to confirm what Akira was saying. “After Ryuji heard the news, he made a beeline towards the PE faculty office. I went to stop him from doing anything stupid.” Akira winced as he recalled what happened next. “I stood up to him, since he was saying horrible things about  Sumire and her sister. He grabbed me, and Ryuji came in to help.” Akira clenched his fist. “I couldn’t stop it in time,  Kamoshida took one of the surrounding baseball bats and hit Ryuji right in the kneecap.” Akira was reminded of his powerlessness in the situation, he couldn’t do anything to help his friend.

Akechi nodded. “That sounds believable. After all, it would be unlikely that Akira would be able to inflict that injury on Ryuji without a weapon like that. And where would he get a weapon like that from? It’s unlikely he just strolled in to the PE faculty office to grab a baseball bat. Any teacher that cared for their job would have stopped him.” 

Akira gave a smile for reassurance. “I wouldn’t have  came running for assistance if I was the perpetrator. My phone had died at the time, and Ryuji’s leg needed medical attention.  So I ran to Dr  Maruki and also had to use Makoto’s phone to call for an ambulance.”

Before Akira could continue his  defense , the bell chimed.

It was the deliverymen from the second hand shop. They had delivered the TV he had brought earlier. He had forgotten about it since he was so busy.

“Please give me a moment.” Akira needed to go upstairs to help set up the TV.

As Akira made his way upstairs with the DVD player, he unknowingly dropped the free DVD that came with his purchase.

Makoto noticed this, and looked at the cover, expecting some silly comedy movie. She was surprised when she saw it was one of her favourite Yakuza movies. They were sort of a guilty pleasure for her, she had spent her childhood admiring the  fast paced action scenes and the displays of martial arts. Her father had taught her Aikido so she would be able to defend herself, and this became a catalyst for her love of all  things martial arts. Of course, she would never admit to this anyone in danger of looking uncool, but she had a lot of DVDs about it at home. She kept it until he came back upstairs.

It was simple enough for Akira to set up, using a desk he had recently cleared of junk. He made his way back down to the café, and apologised to everyone for the delay.

“You dropped this.” Makoto put the DVD on the table.

“Oh, thanks. I was wondering where that went. Do you like those types of movies?”

“I have never watched them.” There was an awkward silence until  Akechi spoke up.

“Why did the café order an old TV like that? There is a perfectly good one in the corner. Maybe they are planning to expand upstairs?”  Akechi couldn’t help but laugh at himself.

Akira cleared his throat. “I guess it is about time I told you about my circumstances.” Makoto looked up from the pages of her book, she began to look intrigued. 

Akira debated with himself. Should he drop the bombshell first? “I live here.”  Akechi looked at him with wide eyes. “I bought that television here for myself. I am here under probation. The charges against me are false.”

Akechi smiled. “How intriguing. I knew when I first saw you that there was something different about you. Please, carry on.”

“I was trying to help a woman out who was clearly in  distress. This man was trying to kidnap her, and she was crying out for help. The man looked drunk, and when I grabbed his shoulder he fell over on purpose. He then proceeded to sue me, and  somehow I was in the wrong. Forsaken by my own parents, they were more than happy to send me out.”

Makoto looked genuinely saddened. Her  suspicions were correct. He had been unfairly branded a criminal, because of an unjust law system. She remembered what her dad told her, how even people in the police force can be corrupt. Was she just like the others who unfairly  labelled him? It was a tough pill to swallow for her. She had always thought of herself as above all that, but after hearing all the rumours about him, she decided to believe them. She also knew that Principal  Kobayakawa had allowed  Kamoshida to spread the rumours about him, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him, at risk of becoming more alienated to him.

“I go to a school where everyone just believes what they want. My parents hardly want to speak to me not to mention the fact that I'm still not used to Tokyo...”

Sumire realised that Akira was struggling.

“For what it’s worth, you have me now. I hope we can continue to be friends. I have to leave now, so if anything comes up, just send me a message.”

Akechi looked at his watch.

“It is getting pretty late, so I think I will get going too now.”  Akechi pulled up his briefcase, opening it and handing Akira 3000 yen. He chuckled once he saw Akira’s face.

“My tip for the brewer! Oh, and before I go, should we exchange contact information? I would like to hear more about this situation.”

Akira held up his phone, to  Akechi’s delight.

“Well, it seems we have reached an agreement.”  Akechi held his phone up, and with a click, they had each other’s numbers and chat IDs.

“I’ll be going now, see you soon.”

After  Akechi left, it was only Akira and Makoto who remained at Leblanc.

“I’ll be going now. Thanks for the coffee.” 

Akira didn’t hate her as much as before, but that didn’t stop him from disliking her. He had  intended for today to be almost a strategy meeting, where they could discuss how they could get  Kamoshida in trouble, but instead it was just a get together. With her being there, he couldn’t disclose too much, just in case she would use that information against him.

Feeling defeated, he locked up and headed up to his room. It was pretty late, but Akira wanted to try out his new TV. As expected, he didn’t have cable so he couldn’t watch much TV, but he did have the DVD player. He remembered that Makoto had asked him if he liked those types of movies. He wasn’t very sleepy, so he decided to give it a watch.

Although it started off slow, he soon began to appreciate the action displayed in the film. He hadn’t noticed it, but his fists were clenched during the climax. All the moves and fighting inspired him and after watching the film, he somehow felt more gutsy.

He was brought back to reality when his phone buzzed. 

** Akechi: **

I’m interested in helping you out. Let’s meet after school tomorrow, I need to speak to the boy who got injured.

** Akira: **

Very well.

** Akechi: **

You’re an interesting guy, you know?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed chapter 11! As always if you have any feedback please feel free to let me know in the comments. Happy Wednesday!


	12. Chapter 12

** Saturday 16 ** ** th ** ** April 2016 **

** Early Morning, Leblanc **

Akira woke up fully rested, satisfied with the results of yesterday. At first, once they had all  left he thought that he couldn’t do enough to persuade  Akechi to join his cause. That, of course all changed once he received a text message from Akechi asking for them to meet up after school. He had no idea why Akechi was so interested in him, but it was nice someone was actually taking a positive interest in him. He made his way to the mirror, and began to brush his teeth. It had only been a week since he arrived, and in that  time he had already got himself embroiled in a situation he had no business in. He wasn’t about to drop out of it though, and he had to find a way to make sure that  Kamoshida wasn’t able to continue taking advantage of students. 

He ate his breakfast and made his way to Shibuya. Once he got to Shibuya, he decided to take a detour to the central street. Large crowds unnerved him, but he knew that it was something he would have to get used to, otherwise the year would feel even longer than it already has. He made his way to the DVD store, and started perusing the shelves in search of the sequel to the film he had watched the night prior. He was also into documentaries, so grabbed a DVD about a priest who had managed to trick the church into thinking she was a man in order to take the role of the Pope. He looked at the cover.  _ Pope Joan.  _ He looked up to those who went against society’s  evils. Once he had bought them and put them into his bag, he made his way back to the station to head for Shujin Academy. 

After he had emptied the vending machines, a notice on the board caught his eye.

_ Soccer club looking for members! Please head to the sports hall after homeroom if you are interested in joining. _

Akira had a keen interest in soccer, ever since he watched an anime detailing how one boy led a  run-down soccer club to the pinnacle of Japanese youth soccer. He wasn’t the best at it, but he certainly was no slouch. He just had to hope that his skills were enough for people to look past his record. With that in mind, he made his way up to homeroom. 

He was still early, and Kawakami wanted to speak to him. 

“Kurusu- kun , today marks the first week you have been with us at  Shujin Academy. I just want to take this time to review how you have been doing. I haven’t received any complaints about your behaviour, but your work ethic is starting to concern me.” She showed Akira a piece of paper, outlining the test data his old school gave to  Shujin , and the score he got from a  social studies test from  Ushimaru . “As you can see, your grade has faltered between moving schools. I’m sure you are aware that  Shujin expects great things from each of  its students, so I hope you understand that you need to be putting more effort in.” Akira knew the reason why he wasn’t paying much attention to his studies, but he couldn’t tell Kawakami about it.

“I understand.” Akira looked down. Kawakami’s expression grew more caring. “You have also  gone to see Dr  Maruki twice over the last week. As your homeroom teacher I want you to consider me as someone you can confide in. I am sure the rumours must be getting to you, but I am here to support you. I have been updating your parents about your situation via e-mail, however I am yet to hear a reply back from them.”

“I haven’t even received a text message yet, so get in line!” He tried to force a smile but it was obvious that his parent’s lack of communication with him had hurt him. 

Kawakami looked saddened. “I am sorry to hear that, Kurusu- kun . As long as I am your homeroom  teacher, I will try my hardest to ensure that you feel welcome here.” While Akira appreciated the gesture, it seemed like she was just another who wanted to pry into his personal life. As he got off of the chair, he thought he saw an advertisement for a maid service on Kawakami’s desk. He made his way back into his chair as he spent the rest of his time imagining what it would be like if he could live as a phantom thief, maybe he could steal the wicked desires of people and help make Japan a better place.

The sharp ring of the bell brought Akira back as  it signified homeroom was over. He excused himself to make his way to the sports hall. He was expecting to see a lot of people wanting to join the soccer team, but as he got to the  sports hall he was surprised to see one boy kicking a ball around. As he realised that someone had actually wanted to join the team he ran over to see Akira.

“Hey! Come to join the soccer team?” He seemed extremely excited to see  Akira, did he not realise Akira is a convicted criminal? Akira noted that this guy looked very average.

“Wait a minute... aren’t you the guy of rumour? Have you come to attack me? I haven’t done anything, I promise!” He flinched as Akira rose his hand.

Akira placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I am here to join the soccer team.” 

It looked like the boy was considering it. “Well... we need one more member, and it looks like no one else will show up, so I'm fine with it. I’m the captain, Yuuki Mishima.” Akira was surprised that he had accepted so quickly, but he swore he would repay Mishima’s trust in him.

“So, who’s in charge of the team then?” Akira asked, taking off his glasses and putting them into his bag.

“Well, usually I'm the one that co-ordinates training, since we aren’t exactly the biggest club in  Shujin ...” Mishima kicked the ball towards Akira, him stopping it dead in his tracks with the outside of his foot. “But now the track team is gone, maybe we can get some more recognition.” Akira recoiled. He had to tell Ryuji about this when he saw him at the hospital.

“What happened to the track team?” Akira kicked the ball back at Mishima.

“Supposedly the leader got injured in an accident, so  Kamoshida shut the whole thing down.  Kinda sad when you think about it.” Akira sighed. He should’ve known that the truth would not have got out, but it still surprised him nonetheless. “We have a coach too, but since we hardly have any matches, she never really shows up. She spends the majority of her time in the gardening club.”

Akira remembered seeing the school board when he went to  Shujin with Sojiro, gardening was indeed on the list of clubs. He didn’t really have too much of an interest in plants, but maybe getting one in his room would make things  more lively . When it came to soccer, Akira could play in any position except goalkeeper, so he hoped that wasn’t the player that they needed.

“Are you okay with playing in midfield?” Akira sighed in relief, that was his favourite  position because it allowed him to see a lot of the field at once. Akira nodded and smiled at Mishima. “Training is every Monday, unless it is raining. You don’t sound like the guy in the rumours, but there is no doubt that your teammates will not warm to you straight away. I’ll try to defend you but you need to shut them up with your skills.” Mishima gave him a quick smile as he went back to his bag. At that moment the hall doors opened.

Akira heard a familiar voice.

“Why aren’t you two in class? Make your way there immediately.”

Akira walked to his bag, put on his glasses and turned to walk to the door. As he turned  around he saw Makoto, her crimson eyes piercing through him. He thought to himself that a glare like that must run in the family, there was no way she just picked that up out of nowhere.

He walked past Makoto,  unknowingly dropping the DVD’s that he had bought earlier since he forgot to close his bag. Makoto saw them and picked them up. Her eyes widened as she saw that it was the sequel of the DVD he had dropped yesterday in Leblanc. She  closed her eyes and smiled; this must mean that he enjoyed the first one enough to go and want to watch the sequel. She didn’t have many  girl friends , in fact she only had one, and that girl definitely was not the type to be into that genre of films. Her dad enjoyed them, but he was hardly at home, so she never had the chance to discuss them with him. Her sister thought they were immature, so her love for those types of films was kept a secret to most, the last thing she wanted was for the people at school to think she was even weirder. She wanted to discuss them with Akira but she knew they weren’t exactly on speaking terms with each other. She looked at the other DVD, shrugged and made her way back to Akira. She didn’t think of him as a history buff. She tapped Akira on the shoulder and handed him the DVD’s back. 

“O-oh, thanks.” He was trying to hide his face as it began to feel warm. He didn’t want people to know about what he liked. His love of historical figures that went against the grain led him to receive relentless teasing at  his old school. 

“Come to the student council room at lunch.” Makoto asked of Akira and then disappeared into her class. He sighed, expecting another progress meeting. He was 20 minutes late to English. He had always wanted to travel the world, and he was aware that learning English could unlock a variety of possibilities for himself, so he had dedicated some time into learning it. He wondered if Ms  Chouno would let him off if he apologised in English. As he walked through the door, an influx of whispers spread about the room. He was aware that he was  fulfilling the stereotype, but ignored that and turned to Ms  Chouno , bowing.

“I apologise for being late. Please accept my apology.” He said in perfect English. The teacher looked at him, amazed.

“Very well, just don’t do it again.”

Akira made his way back into his seat. He still heard the whispers, but they seemed to be positive. They never expected him to be able to speak English, let alone be knowledgeable at all. It was a confidence boost for Akira, since many people in his old school resorted to calling him a nerd. He smiled and got to work writing up the notes he had missed.

The lunch bell rang, and as much as Akira would have liked to go to the canteen and enjoy some food, he found himself waiting outside the student council room. Makoto had come rushing from the canteen, food in hand. 

“I’m sorry for the delay. Let’s get started.”

Makoto took a seat and Akira stood up close to the door. He did not want to be there for too long, he had hoped that it would finish by the time that the canteen ran out of food.

“Go on, take a seat.” she pointed to the opposite seat.

“I know my grades might slip, I have already had this conversation with Ms Kawakami.” he had his hand on the door knob, ready to make his escape.

Makoto glared at him. “I already know that, but I want to talk to you about something else. Take a seat.” Akira noticed that her tone had changed. Not wanting to get on her bad side, he quickly took a seat.

“I would like to talk about yesterday.” Makoto looked at him. Akira found something oddly alluring about her eyes. If it didn’t feel like he was undergoing an interrogation, he might’ve called them beautiful. “More specifically, my conduct.” Akira looked at her with genuine surprise. “ Akechi asked me to come with him yesterday so I could ‘expand my views’.” Akira recoiled as he remembered what he had said to her yesterday. 

“Then I'm sorry too. I had assumed you had come just so you could feed the principal the information.” Akira shook his head. “Maybe I've been too harsh on you.”

Makoto was thrown aback by his comment. “I-I  see.. ” She took a deep breath and continued. “Me and  Akechi had a conversation about what you said yesterday and it seems like he really believes you.” She looked down and began to fiddle with her skirt. “I suppose... the reason why I rejected what you told me was because I was unable to accept the fact that if you are telling the truth, it would mean I have failed at protecting the students.” Makoto looked at him, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. He felt guilty. He had shut her off because he  assumed she was just like everyone else. The tears weren’t stopping, but Akira couldn’t find the words to help the situation.

“It isn’t your fault... I just thought you only cared about your college application, not what happened to the students. But today... you’ve shown me otherwise.”

Makoto’s eyes widened. He was right. It wasn’t too late for her to help, so she had some newfound resolve. Akira noticed a sudden change, she seemed less sad and more angry. 

“Let me help.” The tears had begun to dry up. 

Akira smiled. He knew having her on board would help.

“Of course. We’ll save the students together.”

The bell rung, and Akira couldn’t be late to another lesson. She thanked him and he made his way to social studies. He couldn’t help but smile, he was starting to form a group of people who wanted to help him stop the rotten adults.

Social studies class was easy enough for Akira, he didn’t pay too much attention in class and that came to his disadvantage when he was caught daydreaming. Mr  Ushimaru threw a piece of chalk at him, but Akira was in too good of a mood to be embarrassed, so he tilted his head – the chalk launching into the face of the boy that sat behind him. He could hear whispers of people calling the situation cool, and that just added to his happiness. Once class had finally ended, Akira made his way to the train station, waiting for  Akechi to arrive.

“Hey, I haven’t been keeping you for long, I hope?”  Akechi smiled at him, wearing the beige jacket he has always seen him in.

“You haven’t, should we get going?” Almost like clockwork, as soon as Akira spoke the train arrived.

As they got on the train,  Akechi took out a laptop and started typing. After a moment he looked up.

“Oh, I do apologise, I don’t mean to seem rude.” He smiled. “It’s just I'm working on a case. Since I think we can trust each other, I'll tell you about it. There has been reports about a gang operating in Shibuya. They seem to be using young, impressionable teenagers as drug runners.”  Akechi’s face grew more serious. “We don’t have a single lead on them though. It utterly sickens me that adults like that feel it’s appropriate to take advantage of younger people. Adults are only interested in using the young, while they just do as they say. Society is filled with these irresponsible adults.”  Akechi seemed to be aware of his ramblings, and chuckled to himself.

“I do apologise, I didn’t mean to go on such a tangent. I do think we are quite similar though.” Akira looked at him, with a confused look on his face. “This  Kamoshida guy, if he truly is how you say he is, then he is a rotten adult that has overstepped his boundaries. You want to stop him, am I correct?” Akira gave a quick nod. “We share the same goal. I look forward to working with you.”  Akechi said with a smile.

Once they got off the train, they swiftly made their way up to the hospital, where Ryuji was waiting for them.

“Hey man! Did you bring what I asked?” Akira had forgotten, but was happy to see Ryuji in such high spirits.

“Sorry, but I brought something else.” Akira pointed to Akechi. 

“I’m Goro  Akechi .”  Akechi set his briefcase down and looked towards Ryuji. “Are you willing to answer some questions I have? Don’t worry, this isn’t an interrogation.”

Ryuji looked confused. “Umm... sure dude.”

“Did Suguru  Kamoshida assault you?” Ryuji winced when he heard that question.

“Yes. He  hit me in the kneecap with a bat. That bastard is the reason why I can’t run anymore.” Akira could tell that he was struggling to keep it together.

“That’s all I needed to know. Akira I'll be in contact with you tomorrow.” Both Akira and Ryuji looked on as he left, sharing a confused expression.

“Umm... I don’t get that guy.” Ryuji shrugged.

“Me neither. He told me he wanted to ask you some questions, but I thought it would be more in depth.” Akira shrugged back. “I have a lot to tell you.”

“First of all, the track team has been disbanded.”

Ryuji tried his hardest to contain his disappointment but failed  miserably.

“Man... I thought that might happen, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less. I hope they don’t all hate me now...”

Akira continued. “I will be joining the soccer team.”

Ryuji perked up. “Now that you mention it, you do look like a dude that would play soccer.”

“I also want to see if  Kamoshida supervises training, so I can see some of the abuse firsthand.”

“You don’t have to do that for me dude.” Ryuji seemed to have a trace of worry in his voice. “What if he breaks your leg too?”

Akira shook his head. “He won’t do that. Ending things on a good note though, it seems both  Akechi and Makoto want to help.”

Ryuji sat  up, an enormous grin plastered on his face. “Dude, for real?! The student council president too? I thought you hated her.” Akira looked down.

“It seems that I was too harsh on her. Anyway, with this help, we will make sure  Kamoshida gets what he deserves. I promise.” Ryuji smiled at him with eyes full of hope.

“I better rest, I want to be healthy when that time comes.”

“I’ll see you soon.” Akira left the hospital and returned to Leblanc. 

He was so busy that he forgot tomorrow was Sunday. He finally had a day off from school.  Sojiro had already left by the time he had got back, and any fleeting thoughts about what  Sojiro got up to when he got home were replaced with the urge to watch the sequel of the film he enjoyed last night.

As he put the DVD in the player, and turned the TV on he smiled to himself. Maybe, just maybe, with the group he had, he could help his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed Chapter 12! We have recently reached over 2000 hits, which is huge! I hope everyone is enjoying Akira's journey so far.
> 
> With that, I would like to remind you all that feedback is greatly appreciated! I have received many kind comments so far, and to see people enjoy my work gives me a lot of motivation.
> 
> Happy Friday, hope everyone is having a good week. See you on Monday with the next chapter!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, hope you enjoyed your weekend! Today's chapter is more slice of life goodness as Akira enjoys his first Sunday in Tokyo. Hope you enjoy!

Akira woke up. Not from his alarm, but from his own volition. Checking his phone and realising that school started 30 minutes ago he rushed to his bag, getting ready to change into the uniform for  Shujin Academy. It was only when he was about to put on the signature red and black blazer that he recognised it was a  Sunday , and he didn’t have school. Sighing as he went to change into more casual clothes, he made a checklist of what he wanted to do today.

First, he needed some footwear for soccer training tomorrow. He checked his wallet. That generous tip from  Akechi brought him to about 16,000 yen. While not a huge amount of money, it was more than enough for the shoes and anything else he needed. He bid  Sojiro farewell as he made his way to the station in  Yongen -Jaya. For once, he didn’t have to go to school or help anyone out, he could just relax. After hopping off the train at Shibuya his first destination was the sportswear shop. Akira was surprised at how big it was; he had a sportswear shop in his hometown but it wasn’t as big, neither did it include gear for some less popular sports in Japan. He made his way to the second floor, which was designated for footwear. It was almost like a maze to him – stacks upon stacks of shoeboxes lining the aisles. As he made his way to the soccer section a particular pair caught his eye. They were nothing spectacular, but Akira loved the look of them. They were primarily black, but had red stripes and zigzags across them. Akira looked at the price tag.  _ 4000 yen. _ That was quite a  hefty price for him, and that was 25% of his budget. He shrugged, thinking that the  investment was a good one if he could use them for the majority of his time at  Shujin . He asked a disgruntled part timer if he could find them in his size, and he made his way into the back room. Seeing this reminded Akira of the part time job magazines he saw in Shibuya station. He thought to himself that having some spare money wouldn’t  be too bad, so made a mental note to check back at them when he was on the way home. Luckily, his desired shoes were in his size and he made his way to the cashier to purchase them.

Next on his list was to visit the underground mall. He had seen glimpses of it during his school run but never had the time to take a decent look at it. He left the sports shop and made a beeline for the underground mall. Once he got there, he was surprised at how spacious and varied it was. His first destination was the flower shop. Once he got there, he was given a warm welcome by a  middle-aged lady. Akira expressed his wish to have some flowers that would brighten up his room. After assuring that it wasn’t in fact for a special someone, he was told to collect them in the evening. This worked out for Akira since he needed to do other things, and the flowers would more than likely demand his attention. After leaving the flower shop, he was met with a familiar sight.  Sumire was looking at a close by clothes shop, one which was not only pretty popular but also kind of expensive. Akira tapped on her shoulder, her long red hair hitting him in the face as she let out a little squeal. She turned around, trying to see who she was looking at, but she dropped her glasses. After picking them up and giving them back to her, she opened her mouth in realisation. 

“Kurusu-senpai! You mustn’t sneak up on me like that, you scared me!” She looked down, trying to cover her red cheeks. “What are you doing here anyway?” 

“I needed to pick up some stuff for soccer practice tomorrow, I was also curious about the underground mall, first time here and all.” 

Sumire looked up, a faint smile reaching her face. “You never struck me as the guy to play soccer you know?” She let out a small giggle.

Akira turned a slight shade of a red. “I’m not very good at it, it’s more like a hobby for me. I might also learn more about  Kamoshida if I am in a sports club.”

Sumire rolled her eyes. “I’m really thankful that you want to help us so much, but this is the one day to take a break. How about you come with me while I do some clothes shopping? I need someone to give me second opinions, after all.” Akira looked at his watch. It was still pretty early in the morning, so he shrugged and went along.

He had heard horror stories about accompanying women when they went clothes shopping, and at first he thought this was hyperbole until they got to the third store.

“How about this senpai?”  Sumire did a spin in a beige cardigan and a plaid skirt. He thought it would be a good fit for autumn, but he didn’t have the heart to tell her that. 

“That looks amazing,  Sumire .” He tried to hide his boredom. By that point he was carrying multiple bags of clothes from a variety of designer brands. Did gymnastics really pay that much? 

By that time, it was already approaching midday, and Akira was starting to get hungry.

“Thanks for coming with me today, senpai.” She smiled at Akira. He handed her the bags and she made her way home. It had been a long time since Akira had did anything with friends, even if it was as mundane as clothes shopping. After his arrest, he was ostracised and no one would even dare be seen with him. His last month in his hometown was a lonely one, he would go home from school and just play videogames until he was too tired to continue. 

Akira made his way back to central street and towards the fast food outlet named Big Bang Burger. It had only opened a couple of weeks ago, so it was still pretty popular. He made his way  in; the smell of processed meat was both sickening and tantalising at the same time. Once he made his way to the till, he ordered a standard burger meal. The space related music was blaring through, as he tucked into his meal. It was okay, the burger was very salty but the unlimited soft drink refill was very welcome. His focus shifted though as whispers erupted across the restaurant. He gulped as he thought they were whispering about him, but it was for the customer in the next booth. The waitress gave him a massive burger, talking about some challenge. Akira smirked, thinking about his chances of winning such a challenge as he left the store. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after his meal, so he ventured further into central street.

As he reached the end, he saw a movie  theatre. He wasn’t interested in going though, if he wanted to watch a movie he could go to the rental place. That was his thought process until he saw what was showing that afternoon. It was the next movie in the yakuza series he had been watching for the last couple of days. He still had 11,500  yen, his meal was pretty cheap at 500 yen. It wasn’t too busy either, so he went and bought a ticket alongside some popcorn. He still had about 10 minutes before the film started, so he sat in the lobby and scrolled through his social media. 

“O-oh? You’re here too?” A sheepish voice scared Akira. He looked over to see Makoto, she was blushing, her face contrasting her  navy blue coat. Akira couldn’t describe it, but seeing her flustered like that made him happy. She took a seat next to him.

“S-so, I didn’t realise you enjoyed movies like this...” She looked down, straightening her coat. 

“Well... you remember in Leblanc when you saw that DVD I dropped? After you left, I decided to watch it.” 

Makoto’s face lit up when she heard this. Did she finally have someone to talk to about her enjoyment of action movies? What if he thought she was weird because of it?

“Oh really? What did you think about...” 

They proceeded to talk plot points and favourite moments from the prior two movies, and before long they  realised they were 5 minutes late to the movie. Luckily, the advertisements were still playing, so they could move to their seat without distracting anyone. Unfortunately, there was only 2 seats left, and they were next to each other. They made their way to their adjacent seats and Akira set the popcorn between them, motioning to Makoto that she was welcome to have some. The advertisements eventually passed, and a trailer for a horror movie came on. Akira was impartial to horror  movies, he knew that a lot of them just used jump scares for cheap thrills. Makoto on the other hand, was terrified of horror movies. As the trailer was about to end, a scary face appeared on the screen and Makoto let out a shrill shriek, latching on to Akira’s arm. This contact was enough to make Akira jump too, as he wasn’t expecting it either. All eyes turned to the pair as Makoto had realised what she had done. She hid her face, mumbling a faint apology as she kept her head down until the movie started.

All was forgotten as soon as the movie started. It was almost like she was a different person, she was very animated – from sighing when something went wrong, to clenching her fist during tense moments, to letting out an audible “Wow!” whenever a super flashy moment came onto the screen. But nothing more surprising when she stood up and cheered once the  villain had finally been killed, despite the fact that the movie had not even finished yet. Akira and Makoto left the theatre, talking about the trilogy and how much they enjoyed it, along with various plot holes. Makoto was very happy that she had found someone she could speak to about her hobbies and not have the risk of scaring them off. They approached the end of central street and Makoto said her goodbyes. He really enjoyed today for a reason he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Maybe it was how endearing the other side of Makoto was, that she wouldn’t dare show anyone at school. It was about 3pm now so he decided to make his way over to Leblanc, and relax for the rest of the night. As he was walking towards the  platform he remembered about getting a part time job.

Scouring through the part time magazines, he was looking for something low maintenance, where he could easily just go in whenever he needed to get some money. Looking further, he saw that the  convenience store on central street offered just that. He made a phone call, and they were happy to start training him whenever, so he told them he would be there after school on Tuesday. He made his way back to the flower store to pick up the flowers and waited for his train back to Yongen-Jaya.

Akira had finally made his way back to Leblanc,  Sojiro was just about to close up, and he saw Akira with the flowers in his hand.

“You got a girlfriend already?” he was smirking, much to Akira’s embarrassment. 

“No... These are to help brighten up the room.” 

“Tch... well I'm not looking after them, I'm leaving now but remember: No funny business, okay?”

Akira rolled his eyes and made his way to the attic. He enjoyed today, and after setting up his flowers, he sat on his bed and took out his phone. He had received 4 messages.

** Sumire: **

Thanks for hanging out with me today senpai, I had a lot of fun.

** Ryuji: **

Hey man, what’s poppin?   


** Makoto: **

I really enjoyed today...

** Akechi: **

Are you free this evening?

One of these texts caught Akira off guard. He replied to the first 3, and then replied to Akechi.

** Akira: **

Yes, what is up?

** Akechi: **

Meet me in Shibuya ASAP.

Expecting something serious, Akira instantly made haste to Shibuya, waiting outside of the entrance to the underground mall. 

After about 5 minutes,  Akechi made his way to Akira. It looked like he had just got off of work, his tie loosened and top button undone. 

“Hey. I hope I haven’t kept you too long.”  Akechi apologised. “Work has been pretty busy recently. I suppose you are wondering why I called you out here?”

“Yep.” Akira was expecting it had something to do with  Kamoshida . He must’ve looked serious because  Akechi picked up on it.

“Don’t look so serious, I was wondering if it was favourable to you if we hung out for a bit.  Of course there’s no pressure...”

“I don’t mind, what do you have in mind?” Akira was genuinely curious about what  Akechi did in his free time, he seemed very work focused.

“You’re new here, aren’t you? Well why don’t I show you some places where you can have fun. Shall we?”  Akechi led off with a smile, as Akira made his way to a  platform he wasn’t familiar with.

“ Kichijoji is where I like to cool off.” Akira watched as they stood off the train and made their way out of the station. This place was bustling with bars, nightclubs, night markets and even a shrine.

“Surprised? I’m a person too.” He sounded deadpan. “Let’s get started.” 

They made their way up some stairs, an illuminated sign depicting the words “Penguin Sniper.” It was pretty quiet, and full of billiards tables and darts boards. Akira had never imagined that  Akechi did this in his spare time. 

“Have you ever played billiards?”  Akechi asked Akira.

“A little.” Akira hadn’t actually played, but he knew the gist of things. He didn’t want to get shown up by his senior either.

“I’ll go easy on you then.” A soft smile appearing on his face, Akira could feel the smugness emanating from him. 

Akechi went first, and potted 3 balls. He missed the 4 th and gave Akira his turn. It wasn’t the hardest shot in the world for Akira to start with, but he knew that the amount of power he put in was the difference between potting the ball and sending it off the table. After he judged what he thought was the correct power he hit the ball, and it bounced off the table. Akira tried to laugh it off but was embarrassed with himself.

Akechi chuckled. “You weren’t kidding.”

_ Is that the Goro  _ _ Akechi _ _? Do you think I could get his autograph? _

Akechi’s face grew serious. “We need to leave. Now.” The sense of urgency was palpable as the two rushed out of Penguin Sniper.  Akechi led them to the entrance of a bar. The sign read “Jazz Jin”. 

“We’ll be safe here.”  Akechi walked down the stairs into the bar, the manager greeting him and leading the two to a table. The soft jazz helped them calm down, until  Akechi smiled.

“Sorry for rushing out like that, but in my  experience this never turns out well. This is where I go when I am sick and tired of being the detective prince. I go here as Goro  Akechi .” The manager came out with their drinks.

“ Akechi ! It’s good to see you man!”  Akechi nodded and took their drinks. 

“I didn’t know what to get you, but I assure you these are great.” Akira stopped for a moment, wondering if he had just been served  alcohol .  Akechi picked up on this and smiled. “Don’t worry, these are only soft drinks.” Akira took a sip from the straw and the berry flavour of the drink was phenomenal. Akira smiled as he drunk, the two chatting away as the soft jazz accompanied their deep conversations.

“What do you say, should we change the world?”

“Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I would like to thank everyone who takes the time to read my work. I have read the feedback you have given me, and it really makes all this worthwhile. I hope you have a good Monday and I will see you on Wednesday with a new chapter!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hope this week has been treating you well so far. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

Akira was surprised by Akechi’s sudden resolve. He seemed to be obsessed with justice, and that would be just what he needed if he wanted to stop Kamoshida. It was getting late, so Akira made his way back to Yongen-Jaya. He had enjoyed his first day off, and was happy to spend some time with his friends. However he knew that this happiness was going to be short-lived, as tomorrow he would be within the halls of Shujin Academy once again. He also had soccer practice tomorrow, and he didn’t know how his teammates would actually react to him. Not to mention the fact that he started his part time job on Tuesday after school. Life was coming at him fast, but he knew he couldn’t afford to worry about it otherwise he would lose sleep.

**Monday, 18th April 2020**

**Early Morning, Leblanc**

It was hard enough for him to wake up, but the fact that his alarm decided not to go off was problematic to say the least. Luckily he still had enough time to look presentable (His hair never did, however much he tried.) and make sure he brought his gym clothes with him. Finally managing to put his footwear in his bag, he had to skip his morning curry to ensure that he wouldn’t be late. The trains were on his side though - he didn’t have to wait a long time at all for them. He finally got to Aoyama-Itchome with 5 minutes to spare. As he went to walk through the school gates he saw a sight that sent a chill down his spine. Mr Kamoshida was there, welcoming students into the school. His expression soured as he saw Akira.

“Look who it is, the delinquent transfer student. You won’t be here for much longer, so enjoy your last days.”

Akira ignored him as he made his way up to homeroom, but Kamoshida’s words weighed on him. How much time did that mean he had? Would he be able to stop him before he got expelled? It was hard enough for him to try and do this without a sense of urgency, but with this cloud over his head, he realised he had to get this done sooner rather than later. He made his way to his homeroom and saw Mishima.

“Are you ready for practice today after school?” Mishima asked.

“Yep.” He hadn’t realised that Mishima was also in the same homeroom as him. That would make homeroom a little more bearable, but he still found himself falling asleep - with Kawakami herself always sounding more bored than Akira was. 

Akira just wanted to get the day over with, and before he realised, it was already lunch time. He didn’t have anything to do, so he just went to the library to study. He made his way to a study booth, and looked across the shelves. He had an interest in psychology, and eventually wanted to become a therapist. He had fallen on hard times himself of course, but that didn’t waver him.

He picked up a book, and made his way to a study booth. It was quiet, almost too quiet. Akira had wondered if the rumours and hype around himself had finally dissipated, that would certainly make things easier for him when he had to take down Kamoshida. That was until whispers erupted around the library, talking of “The Venus of Shogi.” He recalled that his classmate was known by that name. He sighed, knowing too well how vile the rumour mill at Shujin could be.

Hifumi took out a book and sat in the study booth next to Akira. Trying to be nice, he offered her some reassurance.

“Don’t listen to all the rumours, it was like that with me when I arrived.” He tried to let out a smile. Despite wanting to become a therapist he didn’t think he was that good when it came to helping others solve their problems.

Hifumi stayed emotionless. “Some of the rumours they are saying about me are true though.” she continued to flick through the pages of a shogi strategy guide. “I was recently embroiled in a match fixing scandal. I wasn’t aware of it, but my mother had actually been orchestrating all the matches behind my back.” She scowled. “I got totally ruined when I had my first true competitive match. I was on a scholarship at Kosei High, but as soon as they found out, I was kicked out of the programme.”

Akira kept his head down. This was another person that had been run down by an adult. He knew that Shujin carried a high expectance of excellence, so cheaters wouldn’t exactly be welcomed.

_ She is hanging around with a criminal? _

_ Well, she is basically a criminal herself if you think about it. It makes sense why they would be studying together. _

Hifumi looked flustered and headed out of the library. He guessed even a cheater didn’t want to study with a criminal. He tried to carry on with his studying but the rumours began to turn even more malicious. There wasn’t long left of lunch anyway, he figured he could just wait outside of the school until the bell rang. He packed his things and kept his head down, trying his best to ignore the spiteful remarks. He was about to leave when he heard a commandeering voice.

“This is a library. Unless you all want to get into trouble, I would recommend shutting up this instant. Akira is a student like the rest of us, and deserves to make use of all the facilities that the school has. The school has a zero bullying policy.”

Akira turned around to see Makoto, he let off an awkward smile and nodded at her. He wasn’t sure how she could have such a presence like that. While she was the student council president, she still had an aura of authority that not only made others pay attention to her, but also demanded respect. He took a deep breath and made his way to class. He only needed to get through Biology, and then he could let off some steam partaking in one of his hobbies.

Biology went smoothly, and Akira made his way to the changing rooms alongside Mishima. As they entered, the atmosphere was lively. That was until they recognised Akira. He could only describe it like walking to a garden just to see all the flowers wither in front of you. 

He was well aware that he wouldn’t exactly be welcomed here, but that didn’t stop it from stinging. It had already been a week, and Akira wanted to be stronger than this.

“This is our new teammate, Akira Kurusu. We have all heard the rumours about him, but we are to still welcome him.”

Akira tried to block out the mumbling. “I hope I can be of use to the team,” He made his way to where he was planning on getting changed. He noticed that people were avoiding him. It never got easier for him. In fact, he’d wager that he was more scared of them than the other way around. He just wanted to be accepted and this alienation was really hurting him.

They were all ready to start when they heard a familiar voice.

“Training starts in 5 minutes, i’ll wait for you out on the pitch.”

It was Kamoshida. Akira’s heart sunk. He had heard about the harsh practice conditions from other club members but he wasn’t expecting it right from the start. He took a deep breath and walked onto the pitch with the other members.

He noticed Akira.

“Oh? I never knew you were into sports.” Kamoshida was wearing his usual shit-eating grin,

Akira kept his head down and went along with practice. Laps of the field were first. Akira thought nothing of it, he had to do laps in PE so this wasn’t anything different. He was surprised by the amount they had to do though, by the time they had finished everyone was tired out. He tried to find a water bottle but there were none in sight. 

They finally got around to using soccer balls. They were brought out by a girl with exceptionally fluffy hair. Akira wanted to ask her if she had any water, but he never got the chance to ask as training had to carry on. It was merciless. He knew what they said about Kamoshida’s training, but he wasn’t expecting this. It was exercise after exercise. Akira never thought he could run that far or fast in his life, let alone doing something as simple as doing laps around a field. They were at it for what seemed like an age, but it was only an hour.

Akira slumped over, Kamoshida had finally made his exit. That was extremely tough for them but as much as Akira hated to admit it, it wasn’t exactly abuse. This should have been expected from a school that has multiple teams that contend on the national level over many different sports.

He had heard mumblings, and looked over to Mishima.

“Is it usually like this?” Akira panted, as he took off his red jacket. 

“Nope, this is the first time we have ever had Kamoshida coach us.” Mishima was also out of breath, he seemed to be taking this as badly as Akira.

Akira didn’t know if now was the right time to ask, but he thought now was as good as a time as ever. 

“You heard the rumours about Kamoshida?” Akira asked as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

Mishima flinched momentarily. “Yeah…” He looked down at a singular blade of grass and plucked it. “I hear the volleyball team has it especially rough.” 

Akira scowled. Kamoshida was an olympic medalist when it came to volleyball, so it made a lot of sense that they would be the worst hit. That didn’t sit well with Akira though, he was sure they were all promising athletes and they must have felt terrible being under his control. He knew they couldn’t speak up against him because that would mean potentially throwing away their futures.

“I want to try and help them.” Akira looked at Mishima. “I know people probably won’t believe me, since i’m a ‘criminal’ but people I care about are being abused by him, and just sitting here watching it happen is sickening to me.” Akira wondered why Mishima looked to be so transfixed on a blade of grass.

“I feel you, I really do. But what can you, or even myself do against him?” Mishima showed the piece of grass to Akira. “We are just like blades of grass, and it’s an unsettling reminder that by ourselves we aren’t powerful. We won’t be able to overturn him. It makes me feel weak and useless but what else can I do?” Mishima looked at Akira. “I am sorry, it seems I got the wrong impression from you. I hope to see you next week.”

Mishima and the rest of the team headed back to the changing rooms. As they left, Akira heard mumblings that it was his fault that Kamoshida was in charge of practice, and that it would be his fault if the soccer team got shut down. Akira sighed. Of course the whole team wouldn’t warm up to him straight away. But at least Mishima seemed to understand him better.

He picked himself up from the field and made his way to the changing rooms. The spring sunlight warmed him up, but he was glad the accompanying breeze stopped it from becoming too hot. As he was about to leave he heard a soft voice.

“Hey…”

Akira turned around to see the fluffy haired girl from earlier. She had brung with her a water bottle.

“You should probably take this, it looks like you need it.” She had a soft smile on her face.

“Thanks.” He didn’t even attempt to hide how much he needed it, taking large gulps before letting out a burp. He turned red. “I-i’m sorry.” 

She let out a small giggle. “It’s fine, you really look like you needed it!

Akira frowned. “Yeah, Kamoshida really worked us today.”

“I’m Haru Okumura by the way. I work with the team here and there.” Her smile was so caring, it made Akira think he was speaking to a long lost friend. “Usually I am with the gardening club, but I thought i’d visit to see the new member.”

Akira thanked her. “Are you sure you want to be associating with a criminal?” Akira tried to make it sound like he was joking, but he wasn’t that charming.

“Rumours? I don’t really listen to them.” She closed her eyes and giggled. “I have to tend to my plants now, I hope you enjoyed your first training session as a member of the soccer team!”

Akira watched as she left, thinking to himself that the soccer club could actually be fun if he could get Kamoshida to leave.

\------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a long time since she had spoken to her sister. Ever since that incident at the park, they hadn’t even interacted with each other. Kasumi would always leave for school earlier than her and return later. Sumire felt herself drifting from her sister in more ways than just the gap between their talent.

While she had enjoyed spending some time with Akira yesterday, it was only a temporary distraction. They were so close until they reached high school. It was a tough pill to swallow for Sumire, but she had to accept that Kasumi was going on to do greater things. Her heart yearned for the days where they would practice together, not a care in the world. That's why she was so surprised when her sister came to sit with her at lunch. 

“Sumire, why haven’t you seen Mr Kamoshida yet?” 

Sumire almost spat out her food. While she wasn’t expecting a direct apology from Kasumi, that was the last thing she was expecting. 

“Well? What about our dream? To reach the international stage together? Are you just giving up on that after all this time?”

Sumire felt her chest tighten, she knew that this was something that Kamoshida would try and make her do. Sumire was always one to go with the flow, and hardly ever put up too much resistance. But this was going too far.

“Kasumi, I know what Kamoshida does. You can speak to me if you need to.”

Kasumi sneered. “What do you know? Are you trying to drag me down? It is hard enough for me as it is, and now you just want to spend your time with that stupid delinquent?”

“Stupid?!” Sumire couldn’t believe what her sister was saying. “After he helped us out? You are going to call him stupid?”

“He was lying to you Sumire. He just wants an excuse to be friends with us. If you actually cared, you would go and see Kamoshida. He knows exactly what happened, and will help you become a better gymnast.” She stated matter-of-factly.

Sumire didn’t believe a word she was saying. Kamoshida was manipulating her. However she couldn’t help but feel the urgency in her sister’s voice. What would happen if she didn’t go and see Kamoshida? Before she could say anything it was time for afternoon class. She couldn’t keep the worry out of her head, and decided that afterwards, she would go and see him, just to stop him from hurting her sister.

She stood before the PE faculty office, her hand trembling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have received a tremendous amount of support on this fic. Every hit, kudos, subscription, bookmark and comment makes this all the more worth it! As always, feedback is always appreciated. See you on Friday.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! Here is chapter 15!

Akira’s legs were weak from his training, but he wasn’t done with the day yet. Realising he left his notebook in class, he made his way to Class 2-D with hope that the door would still be open. Unfortunately, it was locked. It was beginning to get late, so he assumed that the majority of teachers had already made their way home. He sighed. The notebook was the last thing on his mind though, as he saw a frightened Sumire make her way to the PE faculty office. He saw her hesitation to enter and he made his way to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. She jumped, and tried her hardest not to scream.

“Senpai! I thought I told you not to scare me like that.” Akira noticed her gaze wandered back to the metal doors in front of her.

“Why are you here anyway?” Akira looked concerned.

Before she could answer, the door opened. There stood Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust.

“Sumire, we should go…” He went to grab Sumire’s arm, but to his surprise Sumire walked in with Kamoshida without a word.

Akira’s chest tightened. His mind instantly rushing to the possibilities of what could happen there. He had to get help, whether it was from someone who he knew or didn’t it didn’t matter - he was sure she was in danger. He knocked on the school nurse’s office and had no response. Tried the faculty office and no reply. He needed to find someone who could help him out, otherwise Sumire could be hurt. He raced to the student council office, hoping that Makoto would be there, but again, silence. He was powerless once again. Tears slid down his face, he hated leaving situations down to fate, but there was nothing else he could do. He left the school, the slow pitter patter of rain helping to hide his tears.

The train ride home was a solemn one, to say the least. He could hear screams. He knew they were not real, but it was a lingering mark of his regret. His inability to take action when he really needed to led this to happen. It was hard for him to carry on after all of this. He got back to Yongen-Jaya and thought he would go to the bath house. He needed a break, and while he felt extremely guilty for pampering himself at a time like this, it would be better for him and Sumire if he was in a better state of mind.

The rain was getting heavier, so the bath house was not busy. This worked well for Akira as he paid his fee and made his way into the bath. It was soothing, and Akira wanted to take his time.

_ Why didn’t you save me? _

Akira shot up from the water. Was the water too hot? He hadn’t been in there for too long, or had he? He tried to relax but thoughts like these plagued his mind. 

He made his way back to Leblanc, the crisp evening air making him feel better. He made himself some coffee and headed to his bedroom.

* * *

Makoto had a newfound resolve, after meeting with Akira she wanted to do something to help. She knew she had to do something as the student council president, but at the same time it could jeopardise her chances of getting into one of Japan’s top colleges if she was to be found out. Principal Kobayakawa would not be happy if a scandal like that got out, and she was sure that he would take it out on her. Sometimes she wished her life would get easier. 

After lessons were finished, she made her way to the library. She never had a problem getting a table for herself, in fact it was almost like a barrier had appeared around her, stopping anyone from going near her. The truth was that she didn’t mind if other people used the table with her, she wouldn’t even mind helping her fellow students study. She sighed as she opened up her maths textbook, proceeding to take out a pen from her well worn Buchimaru pencil case. It was old and the colour was beginning to fade, she had remembered the various times it went for a round in the washing machine. She definitely didn’t cry when that happened. It didn’t matter what it looked like though - it held a deep sentimental value to her. It was a constant throughout her life, and a rare one at that. All she really wanted to do was feel like a teenager again, and the mantle of ‘Student Council President’ had stolen away those experiences with her. 

She was knocked out of her focus by the sound of a book smashing against the table.

“Yo! Help me out will you?” 

She looked up to see a girl who had violated the uniform policy in multiple ways.

“C’mon, pres, midterms are coming up soon.” She carried on talking to Makoto.

“Umm… How can I help you?” She was surprised that someone actually approached her, it wasn’t exactly something that she had experienced in her time at Shujin.

“Studying, duh. You need to help me.” She looked concerned. Makoto let out a quiet sigh and beckoned the girl towards the table she was studying on.

“What do you need help on? There’s a lot of content for midterms.”

“I don’t mind, really. I wanted to start early.” Makoto’s eyes widened.  _ Early?  _ It was far too late to begin, but she would try her hardest to help her. Makoto had been studying even before the school year started, she had prided herself in ensuring that she got top spot in her year and her record was unbeaten thus far.

“How about we start with Maths? How confident are you on circle theorems?” Makoto watched the colour drain out of the girl’s face.

“Uhh…” Makoto took out her textbook and started relaying some of the work. The girl was just nodding along. After Makoto had given some practice questions, she got back to her own studying. She wasn’t even working for 5 minutes when she heard a high pitched squeal.

“Oh my god! Is that a Buchimaru pencil case? So you might actually be a normal student!” The girl giggled. What did she mean by normal? As far as she was aware she was normally functioning.

“N-normal…?!” Makoto’s face began to turn slightly red.

“Yep, I never knew the prim and proper transfer student had actual interests outside of studying!”

She had plenty of interests, but she doubted they would be interesting to someone like her.

“Turns out i’m a huge fan of Buchimaru too! C’mon dude, we gotta get out of here, let’s do something fun!”

Makoto was surprised at how quickly she could change from talking about pandas to inviting her to go and do something.

“W-wait a minute… Where are we going?” She tried to resist, but it wasn’t enough to let go from this girl’s grip. She had student council work to do, the school day was far from over for her. 

“When was the last time you did any girly things huh?” She dragged her out of the library and down the stairs. She did have a point though, it seemed it had been a very long time since the last time she participated in such acts. Before she could realise, they were already at the Aoyama-Itchome station. 

“W-where are we going?” She was surprised to see someone take the initiative like this. She had heard others speak of her as a ‘robot’ and ‘unapproachable’. She pondered on those words. In reality she was neither of those. She thought of herself as emotional, she just had to wear a tough mask for when she was at school. The fact that she didn’t get much contact from her peers or even her family really hurt her. She was career focused, but not much else. 

They got onto the train heading for Shibuya when the girl started looking at Makoto’s fingernails. 

“Should we get our nails painted?! I know a super good place!” Makoto was not only weirded out that this girl was looking at her fingernails, but she was also shocked by the question. She had never actually got her nails painted at a proper place before. She used to mess about with her sister’s makeup, sure but she had never tried it seriously. Well, there was one time right at the start of high school. She had attempted to use it, but came off looking like a clown. She never wore makeup past that point. She thought on the question a bit, and after they got off the train and headed into Central Street, she accepted her friend’s idea.

She never thought something as simple as heading into a shop would be so nerve wracking for her. She was no stranger to shopping of course, or even getting haircuts. But there was something about a stranger painting her nails that was slightly unnerving, even if only a little. However, she had always wanted to feel like a teenager once again and this could be something that helped Makoto to expand her horizons.

Her and the girl made their way into the salon and Makoto was instantly hit with the chemical smell. She knew it was pretty harmful to be around for a long time considering all the workers were wearing face masks. They made their way to the waiting area and the girl handed her a sheet, with various colours and their names. Makoto looked at this, a confused look in her eyes.

The girl noticed her confused look and giggled. “Well? Have you chosen a colour yet?” Makoto suddenly realised what that sheet was and quickly grabbed it again.

“Umm…” She scoured the sheet, wondering what colour she should pick. She thought she would ask the girl, but decided otherwise. She was her own person, why would she need to ask for other’s reassurance? She wanted to feel like that, but for now she could decide the colour for herself. Would she go for a pink? She knew that was the colour most girls would settle for, but that wasn’t her. What about crimson? She thought it would suit her eyes, but maybe she was being too vain. She was struggling to pick, until she set her eyes upon a regal looking navy blue. She thought that it looked strong, but also looked good too. They both made their way to the counter, and sat down. She wasn’t aware of the nail salon etiquette. Was she supposed to small talk? Or stay silent. She exchanged passing glances with the technician in charge with her nails. She looked over to the other girl, who seemed to be chatting with the woman like they were sisters. She looked down, she felt awkward. Sure she was out here broadening her horizons, but she just felt like she was dragging down the atmosphere. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t realise they had already finished.

She looked down at her hands, and she thought her nails looked good. She almost felt like a queen. The girl noticed Makoto and smiled at her.

“Well, feel a little bit normal now? Eiko Takao btw.”

Makoto had no idea what btw meant, but she was glad she could finally put a name to the face. She also scowled when she heard Eiko talk about ‘normal’. Even Makoto knew you could be a normal girl without having painted nails.

“It’s boyfriend time next, Miss Prez.”

Makoto turned bright red. “B-b-boyfriend? I-isn’t it a bit early for that?” She still had her college entrance exams to do, and while her dad would probably be happy for her, she could sense her sister’s disapproval. It was almost like it was watching over her shoulder. She had never thought about a relationship, and she didn’t really want to at this moment. To her, relationships were something she could strive for after nailing down her career. They shared their goodbyes and went their separate ways. While she enjoyed this experience, it was a far cry from what her sister would have wanted.

She was tired from this new experience, and just wanted to go home to sleep. She had a nagging thought that wouldn’t leave her alone. 

_ I missed a lot of studying today. _

She wondered how her sister would react to her painted nails, after all she wouldn’t be able to hide them forever. If she was lucky, then her sister wouldn’t be there when she got back. Of course, that’s not how it works.

“O-oh, hey sis!” She gave off an awkward smile. She wasn’t great at hiding things, especially if it was something she thought would get her into trouble. Her sister glared at her.

“You’re home late.” Makoto kept her hands behind her back.

“Y-yeah… School was pretty busy today…” She tried to walk past her and up to her room. 

“I made dinner, why don’t we eat together? It certainly has been a while.” She seemed to be getting suspicious of Makoto’s behaviour.

“Oh, i’m not really very hungry. Now if you’ll excuse me-” she was interrupted by her sister grabbing her wrist.

“You’re acting strange. Why don’t we have a chat?” Makoto turned around and tried to struggle, and that’s when she let the secret slip. “Oh? Is that what you were trying to hide.” Makoto sighed, she would have to be amazing at hiding stuff in order to hide something from her prosecutor sister. They both made their way to the dinner table and began eating.

“So I suppose you were lying about what happened today.” She looked at Makoto, a disapproving look manifesting in her eyes.

“It wasn’t like I wanted to! I didn’t have much of a choice. I-I was literally dragged there…” Makoto kept her head down, she knew it was useless trying to argue. It didn’t help her case that the story sounded insane.

“You really expect me to believe that Makoto? Why are you being so childish all of a sudden? You do realise the situation you are in right? You don’t have to worry about a thing, everything is provided for you - clothes, food and a place to stay. Yet you still abuse his kindness and do silly materialistic things like that? You really are something else Makoto.”

“W-wha?!” She was speechless, this was the first time that something like that had ever come out of her sister’s mouth.

“How many times have I told you? You need to be proactive! All you’ve ever been asked to do is study so you can get to college but instead you’d rather just do silly things like you are some immature teenager. Grow up!” Makoto’s sister stormed upstairs, leaving Makoto to absorb what had just been said,

Childish? She never got to do those activities when she was younger, so was doing it for one day really considered childish? How was she abusing her father’s kindness? She never misbehaved in school and even offered to get a part time job in order to pay her way, but her dad had insisted it wasn’t necessary. She certainly was being proactive - studying for entrance exams when she began second year was definitely something the average student didn’t do.

Feeling defeated, she made her way up to bed, her sister’s statements ringing through her head. Was she wrong to try and meddle in the school’s affairs like this? She had said to Akira that she had wanted to help but was that really the right decision for her to make? If she went against the school then it was likely that getting into her dream college would be nothing more than a pipe dream. She needed that place in college, more than anything.

It was a long night for Makoto Niijima.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of my fic. We have reached 100 kudos and 3000 hits in less than a month. That is amazing, thank you to everyone who has decided to read my first attempt at fan fiction. I hope to live up to your expectations.
> 
> Enjoy your weekend and I will see you on Monday with the next chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, hope you enjoyed your weekend. Here is the next chapter.

The bath didn’t do much to calm Akira’s nerves. It was almost like Sumire was speaking to him, despite being alone in the bath. Was this a premonition? Did he really mess up when he didn’t go and stop her? The realisation hit him, almost like he had just swallowed a rock and felt it drop into his stomach. He had stood there and watched it happen. It would be his fault if anything happened to her. Why did he just let it happen though? Was it a fear of the consequences? He knew that if he was to get into major trouble in Shujin, the only thing he would be getting is a one way ticket to juvenile hall.

_ Why didn’t you save me? _

There it was again. Akira needed to sleep, but the thoughts invaded his mind. They wouldn’t leave him alone. He couldn’t imagine what Kamoshida would do to her. He pulled his phone out to text Sumire.

**Akira:**

Sumire are you okay? Did Kamoshida do anything to you?

Akira put his phone down, and looked at the ceiling. The silence was suffocating him. Had he just sent his friend into the lion’s lair? He knew he had to go to sleep, but that was the last thing on his mind. He wished that Sumire would text him back. It didn’t come, or at least while Akira was still awake…

* * *

_ The bell rang.  _

_ Akira propped his head up. He was in Shujin. Kawakami had an announcement to make. _

“I am deeply saddened to announce the passing of Sumire Yoshizawa…”

_ Akira’s chest tightened. His legs moved by himself. He was scouring the halls, hoping to see the familiar long red hair that offered him so much comfort. The echoes of condolences rang around the corridors, Akira growing more restless by the second. He walked down the corridor, and saw a girl sat crying. _

“Why did you stand and watch? You could have saved her, you know?” She was in hysterics.

_ Akira’s face crumpled up. It was his fault. His inaction had caused this. His hesitation had led to her death. He was angry. He rushed to the PE faculty office, multiple thoughts about how he would deal with Kamoshida raced through him. He had done too much, and now it was time to pay. He kicked down the faculty office door and a distressed girl, with red hair looked at him, begging for help. _

_ \------ _

**Tuesday, 19th April 2016**

Akira shot up. He was still in Leblanc, and it was still dark. He was sweaty all over. This was one of the most horrible and vivid dreams he had ever experienced. He was awake now, and he doubted he would’ve gotten any more sleep. He got up, and decided to brew some coffee. He knew what would happen if Sojiro found out, but at this point he really didn’t care. He checked the digital clock that was hung on one of Leblanc’s walls. 3:00am. He had to hope that the caffeine would carry him through school and work. He made his way back to the attic and sat at the desk. He pulled out the book about Pope Joan, and started to read it. She was someone who had many talents, and despite the obstacles in front of and around her, she rose to the top of the catholic church. She was a woman pope in a time where women were not allowed anywhere near the coveted position. Akira felt a wave of inspiration rush through him. Not only did he feel more knowledgeable, but he knew that he could make a difference in the society, despite being an outcast.

Akira’s thinking was interrupted when a ray of sunlight hit his face. He checked his phone. Still no reply from Sumire. He had hoped that she would offer him some reassurance. He got out of his chair, and went to get changed into his uniform. He heard the familiar chime of the bell. Sojiro was back. Akira traipsed down the stairs, expecting to be met with an earful. 

“Hey, kid! Did you use my-” Sojiro turned around to see Akira, his expression softening. “Rough night?”

Akira sighed as he opened the toilet door. 

“Something like that.” At first he was surprised that Sojiro knew that he had a bad night, that was until he looked in the mirror. His hair was even more unkempt than usual and there were bags underneath his eyes. He decided to forgo wearing his glasses today; his public image was the last thing on his mind.

The weather was as dour as his mood. Akira heard the lashings of rain hit the windows of Leblanc. Akira sighed and took his umbrella out. Normally he didn’t mind the rain, but today many things seemed to tick him off. One of these things was the incessant chatter that Akira seemed hyper aware of when he was waiting for the train to Shibuya. It had gnawed at him; constant complaints about the weather and work. He just wanted to go back to sleep. As he reached Shibuya, he took his time walking through the underground passageway. The Ginza Line was more of the same, the chattering and bickering of Shujin students grating on him.

The weather didn’t let up as he made his way up to school. He just wanted a place to belong, and Shujin Academy definitely wasn’t that place. He kept his head down as he went to homeroom. He tried to catch up on his sleep during this half-hour period, but to no avail, as Kawakami caught him in the act.

“Wake up!” Akira groaned as her words echoed through his head. He looked up and met Kawakami’s gaze. “You’re a teenager, you should know the importance of sleep.”

“Whatever…” Akira sat up.

_ Didn’t take him long to get rid of the nice guy facade. _

This whisper caught Akira’s attention. He was in no mood to be taking insults from anyone, but he knew he had to stay calm. A single incident here could be the end of his time at Shujin. He took a deep breath and kept to his own business. Class was especially tough for Akira due to his lack of sleep and his teachers took advantage of that to antagonize him. Ushimaru specifically - his comments about ‘kids these days’ wore Akira’s patience thin. 

Akira made his way to the library for lunch. He wasn’t there to study though. He picked out a study booth and rested his head.

He woke to a gentle touch of his shoulder.

“You shouldn’t sleep in a library you know?” Akira groaned as he looked up, Makoto looked at him, her face dropping once she saw his countenance.

“You don’t look great, are you feeling okay?!” Makoto asked, a hint of worry in her voice. Akira forced a smile.

“I’m fine, I just didn’t get much sleep last night.” He went to pack his bag. 

“You slept through afternoon class.” Akira’s eyes widened as he realised that he missed Kawakami’s lesson. “I’ll back you up this time, but make sure this doesn’t happen again” She let off a small smile and walked away.

Akira left the library and headed to Shibuya. He needed to get to central street in order to start his part time job. Akira thought that if he actually had a part time job, he would gain respect from Sojiro. Not to mention the extra money he would be getting was a nice bonus. After waiting a while for a train into Shibuya, he got to central street and made his way to 777 convenience store. It was a small enough shop, but he saw how busy it could get when he passed by on the way home.

As he entered he was welcomed at the till with a warm smile.

“What can I get you?” The employee was a young girl that looked about Akira’s age.

“I’m here for the part time job.” The girl looked at him, and then a wave of realisation hit her.

“Akira Kurusu? Please come this way.” She led him into the back room. “For today i’ll just be showing you the ropes.” She handed him a pink and green jacket. “Please, put this on.” Akira put it on, and he actually thought he looked pretty decent in it. The girl giggled. “It looks good on you!” They walked to the counter and a customer approached. She showed him how to use the point-of-sale system and how to treat the customers. A phone rang, and Akira’s coworker grabbed her phone and turned to him.

“I won’t be long, think you can take over for me?” Akira nodded and she went to the back room. 

He sat down at the till, observing the various goods that he thought about picking up with his employee discount. He stood around for a bit longer, wondering why the phone call was taking so long. At that moment, a customer came to the till.

“Hey!” Akira said to the customer, he had his head down tapping away at the system. It was at that time that he looked up and realised he was serving Kasumi. “Long time no see, how has it been?” He took Kasumi’s items and scanned them. “That will be 500 yen, please.” She handed him the money without saying a word. He was confused on why she had totally ignored him. Was it the uniform? Akira didn’t have much time to think as his coworker had come out of the back room. 

“Akira, did you serve your first customer?” Akira nodded. She smiled at him.

“I think that’s enough for today. Come again whenever you have time!”

Akira grabbed his bag and made his way to the diner. He took out his phone and saw 2 unread messages. 

**Makoto:**

You left your notebook at the library today, I have put it in the student council room. Please collect it tomorrow.

He responded with a simple ‘OK’ before looking at his other message.

**Sumire:**

I am fine.

* * *

_ Yesterday... _

“Sumire, we should go.” Akira told Sumire this, and as much as she wanted to go with him, she didn’t want to cause any more pain for her sister. She stepped into the office, and Kamoshida turned around to see the girl, a wide grin appearing on his face.

“So you’re Kasumi’s sister? She has told me a lot about you.” Sumire kept her head down, she did not even want to exchange glances with that monster. “Why don’t you come back to my place? Me and your sister had fun the other night.” His voice dripped with arrogance. Sumire stood frozen. Did he really do that to his sister? This was why Kasumi looked so quiet and beaten up. “Well? What do you say? Want to head there now?”

“No. You better leave my sister alone too.” Sumire knew she was out of her depth here but she didn’t have a choice. If she didn’t stand up for her beloved sister, then how would they achieve their dream?

Kamoshida laughed in her face. “Oh? You think you can deny me like that? Your future is mine for the taking. One word and it’s over. You can kiss your dreams goodbye.” Sumire kept her head down. He probably wasn’t bluffing - he was an olympic athlete who assuredly had connections with the Japanese Olympic team. She couldn’t just sit there and let that happen to her sister though.

_ Do you even care about our dream? _

Sumire knew how important getting to the top of the gymnastics world was to Kasumi. She was also painfully aware of the performance gap between herself and Kasumi. It was a tough pill to swallow, but she had to accept it. Would Kasumi be okay if Sumire wasn’t standing there with her? She had to help her sister but how? She was sure Akira would be worried sick about her too.

“You’ve been hanging around with that delinquent, haven’t you!” Kamoshida’s roaring voice seemed to pull Sumire out of her thoughts. Why did everyone seem to hate Akira? He had always been nice to her. What did she say to Kasumi to make her act like that?

“He isn’t a delinquent, he is my friend.” Sumire was determined to ensure that his friend was given a fair chance by everyone. She had heard the malicious rumours circulating about him; he acted like it didn’t affect him, but she knew that deep down he must be hurting. She wanted to help him out.

“Pfft, it’s just a ploy to gain your trust. Once he gets it, that’s when he will show his true side. He is a criminal and not someone a promising young athlete should be associating with.” Sumire had to come up with a quick plan to help her sister. That’s when she realised that the only plausible solution would be that she had to take the heat for her sister. She was scared. She saw how her sister would come bruised, and not speak a single word. She had to. She recalled how her sister would say that she always dragged her down. She needed to be useful to her.

“Well, are you going to come with me or not?” His arrogance never waned.

“Fine, I will go with you if you leave my sister alone.”

Kamoshida smiled at her, and they both made their way out of Shujin. 

* * *

_ Present day _

Akira had just got home from his shift at 777. He knew that something was going on with Sumire but she just wasn’t comfortable telling him. He tried to tell himself that it was all fine, but deep down he knew that Sumire was suffering. He could have stopped Sumire. Why didn’t he?

Sojiro went and locked up for the day. Akira decided he would try and study for what he missed in Kawakami’s lesson. He got his books out and started to study. He knew he had to put the plan in action soon, before more people suffered at the hands of him.

Studying was the last thing on his mind however, he found himself unable to concentrate. Looking over the work, it wasn’t anything difficult but he had no motivation. He had to do something but when he was alone in this cafe, the warped feelings of powerlessness would rush over him. It was at times like this he wished he had someone to rely on. Someone like his parents, who had all but thrown him by the wayside once they realised he had assaulted someone. Not a single text or phone call had come through from either of them. He wasn’t exactly wanted here in Tokyo and it seemed that he wasn’t wanted back in his home town either. The last month in his hometown was horrendous for him - not only did his parents not speak to him, but they wouldn’t even go outside or be seen with him. He knew he was a colossal disappointment to them, but that did not make it sting any less. He had a bad habit of letting his mind wander, and before he knew it he was too tired to continue with his homework. He dragged himself up the creaky stairs and made his way to his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your continued support, feedback is always appreciated. See you on Wednesday!


	17. Chapter 17

**Wednesday 20th April 2016**

It was yet another restless night for Akira. He couldn’t help but worry about Sumire. There wasn’t a chance that she was just ‘okay’. He groaned as he put on his uniform and made his way out of Leblanc, only giving Sojiro a grunt. He walked down Yongen-Jaya’s main road and towards the station. 

His usual commute was draining enough, but today seemed very busy. With his head down and his hands in his pockets, he tried to formulate a plan. He tried to set out a blueprint in his head almost a week ago but the stakes were higher this time. He hoped with Akechi on board, it would be easier for them to catch Kamoshida. There was just one glaring issue - the lack of evidence. Bruised faces and splints weren’t enough to prove that Kamoshida was guilty, especially with Shujin’s reputation of producing gifted athletes. He knew that it would just be chalked up to exceptionally tough training. He scowled as he stepped onto the train. Luckily, he managed to grab a seat, so he took out his notebook and tried to write out some notes. 

_ Speak to other victims. _

If he could get testimonies from victims, this would go a long way towards bringing about justice. He knew that it would be hard enough to get people to speak up, especially if it was him asking. He could try and get Makoto to help, but he wasn’t sure whether he could get her on board. 

_ Try to get teachers on our side. _

Akira knew that having a teacher on his side would heavily boost the credibility of his claims. Dr Maruki agreed with him but he wasn’t really a teacher. It would be likely that if Maruki did indeed try to speak out, then it would likely be snuffed out. Maybe he could get Kawakami on his side, none of his other teachers would give him the light of day.

Akira wanted to continue, but he was starving. He went to the supermarket in the underground mall and picked up some snacks, along with some sushi for lunch. He knew that supermarket sushi was hardly ever good, but he just wanted something relatively cheap to eat at lunch. As he got to the Ginza Line, he pulled out his phone and started to text Makoto.

**Akira:**

Is it okay if I drop by the student council room today at lunch? I can pick up my notebook then, but I also need to talk with you about Kamoshida.

**Makoto:**

Understood.

Akira rolled his eyes. She took her duties very seriously, and that transferred over to her texts. He got onto the train heading into Aoyama-Itchome, and tried to rest his eyes. He was jolted awake as he reached his destination. He really needed to make sure that he sorted out his sleep schedule, lest his grades begin to drop. It was hard enough for him to focus on just general homework, let alone midterms that would be happening very soon. He needed to speak to Kawakami today, so once he got to homeroom he spoke to her.

“Hey, do you think we could have a conversation after school?” Akira was painfully aware of how awkward this sounded, but this was important.

Kawakami looked surprised, colour draining from her face.

“W-what? How did you know?” she looked down. “I knew I should’ve worked further out than this area.” Akira looked back at her, a confused expression covering his face.

“Pardon? I just need to speak to you about something, will after school be fine?” Akira could sense how awkward this was getting. She suddenly realised what he was talking about, and nodded.

Akira made his way to his seat. He should have really got some coffee from Sojiro when he woke up, and he was really feeling the effects of his decision. English class came and went, luckily for Akira he didn’t get picked on to answer any questions. Biology class was even more tiring for Akira, and he had even been able to have a quick nap when everyone was reading their notes. 

The familiar ring of the lunch bell was like music to Akira’s ears. He made his way to the student council room, and to his surprise it was Makoto who got there first.

“Hey, Kurusu-kun. What would you like to discuss with me? Worried about midterms?” Akira waited until the door closed before he spoke.

“It’s about Kamoshida. We need to get a plan in motion, preferably as soon as possible.” He sat down and took out his supermarket sushi. She looked surprised, her eyes widened.

“You’re coming to me about this?!” she opened up her bag and grabbed a bento box. Akira was instantly drawn to it, the smell reminding him of home. Back when he wasn’t a criminal. His mother would make bento boxes for him every school day, and that made lunch time the best part of school. His mind wandered back to the times of him in his old school. He was not the most popular, but he had a solid group of friends that he could confide with. They would spend their evenings playing the latest video games, watching their favourite anime or just chilling. None of them had ever contacted him since he left for Tokyo, and he wondered if they could ever reconcile.

“Kurusu-kun?” 

Akira was snapped back into reality when he heard Makoto’s voice.

“Sorry…” He started to eat his sushi.

“You should really be eating better than that you know, you can’t live on supermarket sushi.” Akira looked up at her, she looked him in the eyes. “You should be sleeping better too. Your grades will suffer because of it.”

Akira sighed, she was almost like a mother. “I appreciate the advice, Niijima-san.” He carried on eating his sushi. Once he washed it down with his bottled water he looked at Makoto. “About Kamoshida… We really need to do something.” 

Makoto took out a folder and began looking at its contents. Akira guessed that he shouldn’t really be surprised that she had to do administrative work during her lunch break.

“Kurusu-kun I don’t think we should get involved with this anymore....” She tapped her painted nails on the desk. Akira wondered if that was a violation of the uniform policy, but he didn’t even read it. He just knew the basic uniform because that was what his probation officer had sent him. 

“What? Who knows how many people he has abused? The longer we wait, the more victims there are.” Akira’s voice suddenly stiffened. “My other friend is in trouble too…”

Makoto looked up at Akira. “I take back my offer of help. I’m still not totally convinced. After all, if the abuse is so widespread then why haven’t any parents come forward? Surely the principal would have something to say about this?”

Akira looked at her, totally deadpan.

“You can’t be serious right? Remember what Akechi told you? How could you forget that?” Akira was shocked at her sudden turnaround. He had a feeling it was to do with her only caring about what happened to her. He would have to take matters into his own hands. He left the student council office before he let his emotions get the better of him. He spent the entirety of the afternoon period in an angry haze, not listening to his teachers or his peers.

Once the bell rang, he still sat there, seething. He didn’t need her help. He thought that after their conversation the other day that she wanted to help. She looked sincere but was that just a farce? It hurt him, it was almost like daggers piercing into his back. He pulled out his phone, and went to text Akechi.

**Akira:**

I don’t think Makoto is very serious about helping us. She is hesitant to take action.

**Akechi:**

Interesting. I wouldn’t put it past her to only care about what happens to herself. Will you be at Leblanc later? We can make a plan. 

**Akira:**

I need to tie up some loose ends, I'll let you know when I'm available.

Akira put his phone down. He had to set the plan in motion, before Sumire got into too much trouble. In his anger, he hadn’t realised Kawakami had been sitting at her desk for the last 5 minutes. 

He approached her.

“I need to speak about Kamoshida.” She looked at him, clearly puzzled. 

“What about him?” Kawakami asked.

“He’s abusing his students. I don’t even want to think about what he is doing to some of the female students.” Akira had to stand strong and get someone at the school on his side. She looked at him, her expression slowly growing stiff.

“What? And what evidence do you have to support those claims? You can’t throw allegations like that around you know?”

“Ryuji Sakamoto and Kasumi Yoshizawa, both of them have been victims of Kamoshida. Ryuji especially will go against him.” Akira scowled.“I was even there when he assaulted Ryuji.” 

Kawakami looked at her feet. “I don’t think he would do such things. I trust him as a colleague. Ryuji was injured in training, there are multiple people who can back him up.” 

Akira was speechless. No one in the school would even try and go against him. His own teacher was happy enough enabling the abuse that permeated through the school. He walked out without saying a word. It was hard enough to stay calm after Makoto decided not to help, and the fact that Kawakami didn’t believe him either really knocked his confidence. Would he and Akechi be enough to take him down?

He left Shujin feeling totally dejected, and headed to the hospital to inform Ryuji he was struggling to come up with a plan. It had started to rain on the way to the hospital and Akira didn’t have a umbrella. He came into Ryuji’s hospital room looking like a dead rat.

“Dude… why did you come when it’s raining like this?” Ryuji looked genuinely confused.

“I.. I.. I’m sorry Ryuji. I am trying to help you with Kamoshida but all my efforts have been useless." Akira kept his head down. 

"What do you mean?" he looked confused. "You don't need to do all this for me you know."

Akira put his head in his hands. "It's not just for you, but for Kasumi and Sumire too." he scowled as once again, his uselessness came back to haunt him. It was his fault that Ryuji got injured and it was his fault that Sumire began to get abused.

"Tch, that bastard Kamoshida doesn't know when to give up, does he?" Ryuji's face turned from confused to angry. 

"Turns out Makoto doesn't exactly seem like she wants to help either. Too busy trying to get her letter of recommendation, it seems." Akira clenched his fists in anger. "Even Kawakami didn't want to hear it. Why do people not want to go against him?! They are letting my friends suffer, and I can't do anything to help them. Sumire could be getting abused as we speak and there's nothing I can do." his vision blurred by the cascade of tears coming from his eyes. "The parents must know too, and they turn a blind eye to the truth." he wiped his eyes and grabbed his bag. He needed to meet Akechi.

"Man… If there is one person I would trust to change the world, it would be you dude!" Akira looked up at Ryuji. "You have a strong sense of justice, and you really want to help me. I'm not good with these motivational speeches y'know, but I really think you can stop him. I'm rooting for you dude!" Akira walked towards the door and before opening it he shot Ryuji with a confident smile. He was right, it didn't matter whether he had 1 or 100 people helping him, that wouldn't deter him. 

He thanked Ryuji and made his way back to Leblanc. Akechi wasn't there yet, and Sojiro was preparing to close up.

"Akira, where have you been?" he seemed annoyed.

"I went to visit my friend in the hospital." He stayed deadpan, hoping that it would make him seem more believable.

"You expect me to believe that? If you get caught doing shady things then I won't be helping you. I'll hand you straight over to the police with no hesitation." Akira politely nodded and headed to the attic until he heard Sojiro leave.

He headed to a booth and got out his phone.

**Akira:**

Ready when you are.

**Akechi:**

I will not be long.

Akira stood up from the booth and started to prepare some coffee beans. He wasn't going to start making it yet, but having everything prepared would allow for less interruption. Like clockwork, the familiar chime of the door bell filled Leblanc, and Akechi came through, a soft smile on his face. 

"Welcome." Akira tied up his apron. "What can I get you?" 

"I'll have the house blend if that is preferable for you." Akira nodded and got to work preparing the coffee. He had been practising a lot lately, and hoped that he would impress Akechi. Sojiro said something about girls liking a man who can make coffee, but girls were the last thing in his mind at that time. "Work has been quiet lately, so I've had some time to think about this."

Akira looked over at him, and began grinding the beans. "Is that so? I hate that we have to go rushing into this, but my friend is in danger." 

"I understand your concern, but it is dangerous to go into these things if you are just blinded by emotion. We need to gather evidence first, otherwise you could get yourself into trouble." Akira sighed, as he began to prepare the cups. He knew he had to do this logically, but it was difficult to just swallow his feelings. Anger, anxiety and guilt hung over him like a cloud. He wanted to beat the shit out of Kamoshida but he knew that wouldn't end in his favour. He knew there had to be some way to help. There had to be. 

Akechi caught onto this and looked down. "Listen, I have someone who has messed up my life that I would love to rip up limb by limb, but that isn't justice. We'll catch him and make sure he rots in prison for the rest of life." Akira nodded and handed him his coffee. Akechi took a sip and smiled. “This is as good as ever. Maybe you should open up a cafe when you get older.” Akira smiled. Maybe he could become a barista when he is older, if he couldn’t become a therapist. 

“How could we get evidence? I don’t think anyone will be willing to tell me, plus if Kamoshida finds out I am trying to snoop, he won’t be happy.” Akira looked worried. “Wouldn’t Ryuji be enough evidence to prove this?”

Akechi looked up from his coffee, totally deadpan.

“It won’t be enough.”

Akira recoiled. “Even my homeroom teacher didn’t believe me when I told her.”

“This school of yours seems pretty corrupt. I assume staff and parents are aware of all this and let it happen. They are only doing this for their benefit; parents get to see their children succeed, while teachers don’t say a word because it would ruin the reputation of the school. That is pretty sickening, wouldn’t you agree?” Akira nodded intently. “We could try and-”

The door to Leblanc swung open.

“Sorry, we’re clos-” Akira turned around to see Sumire. Her face spotted with bruises, she tried to speak.

“S-senpai… He… He…”

“What did he do to you Sumire?!”

“He…” She tried to catch her breath, she seemed to be panicking. “He…” She couldn’t finish her sentence though, she felt her consciousness slip away.

A far sounding voice reached out to her.

“SUMIRE!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you on Friday for the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed! Also feedback is always appreciated, especially as this fic is my first foray into writing fanfiction. Have a good day!


	18. Chapter 18

“Akechi, can you look after her for a moment? I know a doctor.” Akira tried to remain calm, but he was in fact extremely flustered. He wasn’t fluent in first aid, so the only thing he could do was try and get into contact with the doctor that gave him painkillers when he got assaulted. “I won’t be long.”

“Oh… umm, sure?” Akechi and Akira carried her into one of the booths and set her down. Akira thanked Akechi and made his way out of Leblanc. Usually, Akira knew the way to the surgery like the back of his hand, but combined with his panicking, he struggled to find his way. He rushed down the many side streets, looking for the familiar light of the green cross. Once he finally found it, he rushed to the doors and tried to open them. Locked. He slammed his fists on the door, hoping that someone would come to help him. This was yet another painful reminder that it was his inaction that had caused this. Why didn’t he step in? Slamming on the door once more, growing more desperate with each knock he turned away, until he heard the door open.

“You had better have a good reason for knocking so hard.” Akira turned around at her. “Well? What do you need?” 

“You need to come to Leblanc, my friend has collapsed.” His face stiffened. “I think she got assaulted.” They both hurried over to Leblanc, the doctor going back to get some medicine. Akira hoped that she was alive. Sumire was lying down in one of the booths, and Akechi was opposite, reading a book.

The doctor rushed to Sumire, her heels clacking on the tile of the cafe. She first checked for a pulse.

“She’s alive.” Akira let out a huge sigh of relief. The doctor looked at her, assessing her injuries. Akira recoiled as he heard the doctor list off Sumire’s injuries. She had a black eye, a sprained arm and a concussion. She looked to Akira, handing him a bag.

“You’re her friend right? Make sure she takes these. Instructions are in there too.” She handed Akira a card. “Call me if the situation worsens, but for now make sure she gets some rest.” The doctor looked at Akira and headed out.

“Well, I can’t say I was expecting that.” Akechi looked at Akira with a concerned look on his face. “This is troublesome.” Akira nodded and went to the attic, to get a duvet for Sumire. He needed to make sure she was safe, not to mention Leblanc also could get very cold during the evenings. He placed it over her and spoke to Akechi.

“This is starting to get serious…” he scowled. “That bastard did it to her, i’m sure of it.” he rested his head on the table. “I knew I should’ve stopped her.” Akira kept his head down.

“You cannot keep placing the blame on yourself. Don’t let your thoughts be clouded by emotion, Akira.” He put his coffee down. It was starting to get lukewarm, but Akechi didn’t mind. “Evidence will come our way eventually,” he looked at Sumire. “And then we can look towards the future. He will be behind bars for the rest of his life. We could become detective princes, how does that sound?” 

Akira appreciated the thought, and it even helped him feel better. “I appreciate the offer, but life in the limelight isn’t really for me.”

Akechi chuckled. “I don’t blame you for having that line of thought. I’m trying to focus on entrance exams, but interviews keep me from doing so.” He took another sip of his coffee. “I do enjoy coming here though. The atmosphere is lovely, and best of all I don’t have to deal with any fans.” He looked over to Akira. “We can get this done.”

They both heard shuffling as Sumire woke.

“Senpai… What happened?” Akira rushed to be by her side. 

“You came here and collapsed. Did he do this to you Sumire?” His expression hardened. 

She had to consider what she said here. She needed to protect her sister. That mattered more than anything.

“No.” She looked at him intently. Her head feeling the effects of Kamoshida’s abuse. She could only describe it like her head being torn apart. She couldn’t tell him that though, or risk messing up her sister’s future. Akira wasn’t happy with her response, and frowned.

“You can’t expect me to believe that. I won’t tell anyone that you said anything you know.”

She needed to throw him off the trail.

“I was training, and I fell over… I’m so clumsy.” She turned red. She knew she wasn’t the best liar out there. It especially hurt to lie to Akira since she knew he was worried about her. It seemed to work though, as Akira walked back to the counter, extremely disheartened. Why was she hiding away from him all of a sudden? What did he do wrong? It seemed like the case against Kamoshida could slip away at any moment.

“You’re a terrible liar, you know.” Akechi stared daggers at Sumire. She yelped at the quick deduction. As expected from the detective prince after all. “How come your first instinct was to come here? Surely if you got all these injuries that the doctor says you have, then you would be more inclined to seek immediate medical attention than come to seek Akira.” Sumire flinched. He had seen right through her. Akira looked at Sumire, she could see the sadness in his eyes. She sighed, she had been found out. Akira could see that she was struggling with her head, so he got her a cup of water and pointed towards the bag on the table.

“These are for you, the doctor’s orders.” Akira’s voice was void of emotion. He was hurting. Why did she feel the need to hide this from her? Was it something he did?

“Doctors?” Sumire asked.

“Akira ran to get you a doctor as soon as he saw you collapse. And yet you feel the need to hide the truth from him?” Akechi quizzed Sumire. He had caught her out. She sighed and took a sip from the cup of water. “Well? Are you going to tell the truth?”

“It was Kamoshida. He took me to his place.” Akira recoiled as he heard her recount events, constantly berating himself. He could have got her out of this situation but he didn’t. “He tried to force himself on me, and when I refused he started hitting me.” Akira dropped the cup he was washing. The smashing of glass brought Akechi out of his trance. He and Sumire looked over at Akira. He was crying, but also extremely angry.

“Sumire. I’m so so sorry. I should’ve stopped you but I didn’t. I was too scared. I had already failed Ryuji, and now I have failed you.” He slammed his fists on the counter. He had lost count of how many times he had cried since he arrived on probation. “It’s my fault you’re like this, I promise i’ll deliver Kamoshida to justice.” Sumire looked at Akira with a face full of concern.

“It was my decision to go with Kamoshida. He could wreck my sister’s career if he wanted too. I needed to do it so she could achieve her dream of becoming one of the world’s top gymnasts.” Akechi eyed her suspiciously.

“Am I correct in believing that you are also a gymnast?” Sumire nodded. “Well then, it could be deduced that you wanted to throw Akira off the trail because you would benefit from associating yourself with Kamoshida. Someone like him is sure to have connections with the Olympic team responsible for choosing who represents Japan. Get on his good side and you are pretty much guaranteed a place on the team.” Sumire and Akira recoiled as Akechi tried to pick apart Sumire. It was scathing, but Akechi needed to find out the truth.

“The truth is, Kasumi was pushing me to see Kamoshida.” Akechi raised an eyebrow. “She is really serious about becoming a gymnast, and I assume one of his conditions for getting a recommendation was having his way with me. I did this for her, so she could follow her dream.”

Akechi raised an eyebrow. “So you're telling me that your sister is okay with you being treated like this? Is she that career orientated that she would happily see her sister get abused?”

Sumire looked down. “I’m not sure… it’s not like I could become an olympic gymnast anyway… the gap between me and my sister is too wide now... I don't know what else I can do. She was being pushy with me…"

Akira looked down as he made his way to give Sumire another cup of water. "Kurusu-senpai, I am sorry to worry you, but it isn't your fault. Please let me help."

He looked at her and shook his head. "Not a chance. Not after what happened today. I'm not sure what I would do if something happened to you again…" he went back to the counter. Sumire looked at him, her red eyes full of determination. He wasn't about to fall for that one again though - this wasn't the first time he had been let down by a girl with red eyes. 

Akechi looked deep in thought. "Akira, having her on our side could prove to be extremely beneficial. I know you're worried about what could happen to her, but this could be our chance." 

"What are you scheming Akechi?" Akira asked, he had to make an excuse when Sojiro found out one of his cups were broken.

"Nothing concrete yet, but tomorrow, please try and gather some information about Kamoshida's abuses from your school. I know they won't be likely to tell you a lot, but any information could really help our case."

"Maybe they will be more likely to talk if I ask? Mind if I accompany you Kurusu-senpai?" Sumire asked Akira. He thought on it, and nodded. 

"I guess that it doesn't hold much threat, I don't see why not. How does after school sound?" Sumire nodded. "Sumire, make sure you take your medication, okay? The instructions are in the box."

Akira remembered that he had the money from his part time job. "At least let me call you a taxi or something, you have a concussion, remember?" 

"Senpai, I'll be fine…" before she could argue with him, he was already looking at the phone book for local taxi companies. "What about you Akechi? Do you need one?" He was getting fed at Leblanc and didn't even need to pay rent.

"Well, if you're offering, who am I to decline?" He smiled at Akira. "Thank you."

Akira dialed the number, and asked for two taxis to Leblanc. He gave the two the money and sent them off with a smile, ignoring Sumire's constant protests.

Tomorrow he would start with his reconnaissance work. He had to do this. 

**Thursday, 21st April 2016**

School came and went for Akira. It was refreshing that for once, he wasn't going to school angry for once. 

He waited outside of the library, until someone tapped his shoulder. He stumbled back in surprise.

“Senpai!” she exclaimed. Akira noted that she seemed very happy, despite getting assaulted the day prior. 

“You shouldn’t sneak up on me like that.” He tried saying with a straight face, but couldn’t help but crack a smile as he remembered that it was something he did to her as well. She was wearing a splint for her strained arm. “You’re awfully excited for someone who is injured. Have you been taking your medicine?”

“I have senpai. I appreciate your concern.” she said with a smile. “Let’s get started then, shall we?” Akira nodded as they made their way to the second floor. They looked from classroom to classroom, hoping to find someone who looked injured. They had found a first year who looked upset, and was bruised.

Akira walked up to him and tried to look friendly.

“Hey… You look hurt, are you okay?” Akira asked the shaken kid. The kid recoiled at the sight of him.

“You’re the thug right? Get away from me.” Akira watched as the kid ran off. He sighed and walked back to Sumire. 

“Looks like I still haven’t been able to shake the stereotype yet…” It still hurt Akira to be viewed as the typical thug, when the truth was the exact opposite.

“Maybe I should ask from now on, senpai.” she told Akira. He nodded and they went to find another student.

The search was interrupted when Sumire heard a familiar voice.

“Sis, what are you doing?” the two turn around to see an annoyed Kasumi. Sumire’s expression turned cold. “Rumour has it you two are trying to snoop on Kamoshida. Is that true?” 

“Yes. I am going to help you sis. You don’t have to worry anymore.” Sumire explained to her sister, who was growing more agitated by the second.

“What?! I don’t need any help. Keep your nose out of this.” She pointed at Akira. “Especially you. Why are you trying to corrupt my sister? Kamoshida told me the truth about you.” 

Akira shook his head. “He’s lying about me.” Sumire looked at her sister, growing more angry as their heated exchange went on. She pulled up her sleeve, revealing her splint and pointing at it.

“This happened to me because i’m trying to help you escape his clutches. I want you to stand at the top of the gymnastics world, without that pervert Kamoshida trying to have his way with you. Why are you just going along with this?”

Kasumi smirked. Akira was taken aback by her reaction to her sister’s injury. “You have to make some sacrifices to reach the top. That’s the natural order of things. If you aren’t prepared to fight for our dream, then I don’t want anything more to do with you.” Kasumi turned her nose up at her sister and made her way down the stairs.

Sumire kept her head down. Akira looked at her, a frown forming on his face.

“We’ll save her, and make this school a better place. I promise.” Akira’s determination must have rubbed off on Sumire, as they shared a confident nod and walked down the stairs and out of Shujin Academy.

* * *

“You wanted to see me, Principal Kobayakawa?” A polite voice asked.

“The new kid, he is being too nosy. He knows too much.” 

“You mean Akira? What does he know?”

“About Kamoshida. We cannot afford to let this get out. If it does this could be catastrophic for this school’s reputation.”

The girl recoiled in horror. So everything Akira has been talking about was true?

“So the rumours of abuse are all true?” Makoto couldn’t believe that the principal was telling her to her face that all these rumours were true.

“Yes. You need to lead him off the trail.” Principal Kobayakawa looked at her totally deadpan.

“M-me?” Why was she being told to do this?

“You seem to be in a position of trust with him. I have seen you talking with him on several occasions.” Makoto gulped, she knew where this was going. “You come from a very prestigious family, don’t you? It would be a shame for you to dampen that reputation if you didn’t get into the top college in the country.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today marks a month since I uploaded the first chapter of "An Unjust Society". I had never imagined that people would enjoy what i'm writing, especially as this is my first ever fic.
> 
> Since the 22nd April, we have reached over 4000 hits and 100 kudos! This is amazing, and I am glad you are enjoying what i'm writing! Here's to another month full of new chapters!
> 
> As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. Have a good weekend and I will see you again on Monday!


	19. Chapter 19

Akira sighed. He couldn’t get any info out of any of the students. That day felt like a waste, and that was one day more Kamoshida could get away with abusing students. Akira shook his head. Those thoughts were not helpful to their investigation. Akechi had reminded him that emotions were dangerous and could get in the way of justice. For now, it was himself, Akechi and Sumire on the case. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a girl crying. Sumire was the first to rush towards the girl, and Akira followed suit not a second after. 

She was stood by the neighbouring vending machines, tears coming out of her eyes like a never ending waterfall. Despite that, her eyes looked devoid of life. It was almost like she had gone through unfathomable suffering and still soldiered on. Sumire tapped her on the shoulder, and she flinched vividly. Akira never forgot the look on her face. It was of sheer terror. Sumire noticed this, and had an apologetic look on her face.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but notice you were crying. Is there any way I can help?” The girl looked confused, and then kept her head down. Sumire had noticed that the girl looked like she had been abused, she wore a splint on her knee and one of her forearms were covered in bandages. “Who did this to you?” 

The beaten girl looked up, her eyes widening. "Y-Y-Y-Yoshizawa?!" Akira noticed it looked like she had just realised something. "S-s-sorry…" Sumire looked at her, bewildered.

"Huh? You know me?" Sumire asked the girl. She had begun to cry even more, and Sumire began to comfort her. "Hey, you can tell us what's going on, don't worry." She looked over to Akira who seemed to be lost in thought. Akira had noticed someone across the road from him reading manga that was upside down. He shrugged, and turned to the girl, trying to do his best reassuring smile. She recognised Akira and looked at him intently.

“You’re the new kid, right? Try not to let the rumours get to you. I understand that coming to a new school can be tough, especially with the labels you’ve already been given.” She tried to smile but Akira knew that it would be a monumental task, especially with what she had been through. He was taken aback by her kindness - no one had shown him that kindness before in Tokyo, especially knowing all the rumours flying around Shujin about him. It took guts to say something as nice as that to a serial murderer, drug dealer and arsonist. 

“I appreciate your kind words, but what matters now is you. What exactly happened? Was this Kamoshida’s doing?” Just the mention of that name caused the girl’s breathing to accelerate. Sumire looked at Akira with a worried look. Akira mentally berated himself for being so direct. “We want to help you… but this might not be the best place to do so.” Sumire caught wind of Akira’s idea and nodded at him. 

“How does the diner sound?” Sumire looked up at the sky. Grey clouds engulfed the spring evening’s sky. “It looks like it might rain soon, so hopefully it won’t be too busy.” She gave her a soft smile and awaited her response.

“I have volleyball training…” Akira noticed that her voice was dropping. It was obvious that she didn’t want to go, but she felt inclined too. Akira gulped, this was a time where he felt like he needed to be direct. Last time this happened, he had let Sumire go and see Kamoshida… and he knew the same could very well happen here. He couldn’t afford to see this happen again, it would be his fault.

“Kamoshida’s abusing you isn’t he?” Both the girl and Sumire looked up at Akira with a surprised look. He wasn’t expecting that reaction, and it made him feel more a bit self conscious of what he was about to say. But he had to, lest another Sumire situation happen. “Is he forcing you to go? Threatening you?” The girl looked at Akira, tears flowing even more freely.

“If I don’t go, then i’ll lose my starting position on the team... Volleyball is all I have." She looked over to Sumire, who had kept her head down. It was just like Kasumi, she was forced to do whatever he wanted, just so she could have a chance to pursue her dream. It sickened her. She was sure that the staff at the school knew all about this, and they didn’t even want anything to do with them. She looked at the girl, it was her turn to start crying.

“Please, you need to come with us.” she tried to stop crying, but seeing someone in a situation similar to her sister’s both upset her and spurred her on. “We will make Kamoshida face justice, right Akira?” Akira nodded. He had to do it, not only for Sumire, but for every single student who woke up every day and dreaded heading into school, in fear of what he would do to them.

“We won’t say you told us anything, so you don’t have to worry about that.” He looked at the two, both had been treated like shit by him, and they had their futures hung in front of them like a donkey heading for a carrot. It sickened him.

She looked at the floor, and Akira walked up to the vending machine.

“What about my starting position?” The girl asked. Sumire looked down, she knew the risks but could also see why Kasumi went with Kamoshida. Not many people made their career out of sports, and those who did always made sacrifices in order to reach the top. She wished the industry wasn’t so cut-throat, but she knew that this issue permeated today’s society.

Akira had to stay confident, if he wasn’t confident then who could? “Don’t worry, there will be a new coach soon enough.” Akira was surprised with how much conviction he put into those words, and had to remind himself that this is what they were fighting for. He picked up the bottled water from the machine and handed it to the girl. “That crying must have given you a headache. Please, come with us to the diner so we can discuss this.” The girl took the water and started to drink it. She had almost drunk the whole bottle in one go. She looked at Akira.

“Thanks. I’ll go with you.” She walked along to the train station with Akira and Sumire. Akira felt like he was being watched, but shook the feeling off, he must’ve been too tired. Once they had arrived at the diner in Shibuya, they sat down and looked at the menu. He still had money left from his part time job, so he decided that whatever was bought was on him today. The two girls tried to refuse, but he insisted. It made him feel better, considering how powerless he was feeling at the moment. He looked up from the menu and saw Makoto walk by, with the manga he had seen earlier. The two exchanged glances as she went and sat at a nearby booth. That’s when it hit him. She must’ve been listening to their prior conversation outside of Shujin. He sighed, knowing full well she would just relay whatever was said at the diner back to the principal.

* * *

Makoto took a deep breath, she had no idea why the principal was asking such a big task of her. She had many questions, but the burning one was why was he so incessant on making sure this didn’t go out? Of course it would heavily affect the school’s reputation but at the end of the day, surely the needs of the students came first. She was told she needed to stop Akira from getting Kamoshida busted, but how exactly would she do that? She was used to just having the information come to her, but for once she would have to gather it herself. Sighing to herself, Makoto knew she had to do something. The principal had a habit of deflecting issues onto those underneath him, meaning she would likely get heat from him if this was to go public.

She snapped herself out of her thoughts and made her way to the student council room. She had to think about what she could do to appease the principal. This was sure to include watching Akira. She needed to be cautious about it though, as if she was seen then Akira would likely become more secretive thus making it harder for her to understand his motives. She felt bad for betraying Akira like that, especially after agreeing to help him. Makoto assumed that they weren’t even friends anymore after she told him that he would be better off doing anything else rather than snooping in others' business. Even Akechi had stopped returning her texts, which first came as a surprise until she realised he and Akira are working together to stop Kamoshida. She desperately wanted to help too, but the weight of her sister’s words and the pressure from Kobayakawa had prevented her from doing that. She sighed. Makoto knew next to nothing when it came to espionage, only that she had to hide her face. She made her way to the library and looked to see if there were any big books that could manage to cover her face. She scoured the shelves until she saw a huge manga. She didn’t really read manga, her sister had told her it was just for kids, so Makoto never even dared to read it. She took the manga out with her library card and made her way out of Shujin. She would start spying on Akira Kurusu starting tomorrow.

Or so she thought, as she heard his voice as soon as she stepped outside of the school gates. It was also very hard to miss the untamed mess that was his hair. Scrambling to get the manga, she rushed across the street and put the manga in front of her face. She started to wonder why she couldn’t read it, but that didn’t matter to her. She took a peek from her manga and saw Akira and Sumire speaking to another girl. She tried to look further and she realised who it was once she saw the hair clip. It was Shiho Suzui, star of the women’s volleyball team at Shujin Academy. What was Akira doing talking to her? She tried to move closer, without alerting him. 

“You’re the new kid, right? Try not to let the rumours get to you. I understand that coming to a new school can be tough, especially with the labels you’ve already been given.”

Makoto couldn't help but smile. As to be expected from one of the nicest 2nd years she knew. 

She tried to listen in further, but couldn't hear Akira over the swathes of workers who had just left for the day. She managed to get closer, all the while with the manga covering her face. 

She tried to peek but felt a pair of eyes on her. She moved her head ever so slightly in the hope to see who was looking, and she saw that Akira had just looked away. She breathed a sigh of relief and tried to listen out for more. All she could make out was 'diner'.

She saw the three of them leave, so decided to pursue them at a respectable distance so not to draw attention to herself. They had gotten on the train together, and Makoto waited a few minutes before entering the diner in order to not raise any suspicions.

She walked in the cafe with the manga underneath her arm. She soon realised her mistake as she met eyes with Akira. He looked at the manga and then back at her, she cringed as she watched him realise and she quickly made her way to a surrounding booth, hoping that he wouldn’t connect the dots too quickly.

* * *

“So what can I get you three today?” The friendly waitress asked the two girls and Akira. 

Akira ordered a coffee, while the girl and Sumire ordered some strawberry crepes, along with cream. They didn't wait a second to start discussing Kamoshida.

“Sorry, I suppose I should introduce myself. I’m Shiho Suzui, I play for the volleyball team.” She looked over to Sumire. “I should really apologise to you - it was me who told your sister to see Kamoshida. Looking back at it, it was selfish for me to think of myself over your sister.” She had started to rub her arms, and Akira had noticed they were very bruised. Sumire smiled at Shiho, and took off her glasses.

“It’s okay, I can understand putting your interests over someone you had hardly met.” She looked over at the waitress who had delivered the crepes and coffee. Akira eyed the crepes, and while he wasn’t exactly a sweets guy, he had to admit they looked delicious. Akira pulled out his phone and went to text Akechi.

**Akira:**

Are you around Shibuya? I have a victim. Come to the diner in central street as soon as you can.

**Akechi:**

Understood. Won’t be long.

Akira put his phone down and looked towards Shiho.

“Have you been at Shujin since your 1st year?” Shiho nodded. “Has Kamoshida always been like that?” Shiho visibly winced. 

“When he first arrived, he was okay. He treated us all with respect, and led the volleyball team to the national stage. But after that…” She looked down. “He changed. It was like the popularity had gone to his head. He would use his power in the sports world in order to threaten and blackmail us. Volleyball means a lot to my family, and if I was to…” Shiho began to cry again. “Get kicked off the team then i’m not sure what I would do.” she wiped her tears from her eyes. “Sorry I promised my friend that I would be strong..” Sumire looked at her, trying to find something to say that would comfort Shiho.

“Have you told your friend about this?” Sumire closed her eyes once she saw Shiho recoil. Did she say something wrong?

“I didn’t get the chance. She was an up and coming model, and then one day she just stopped showing up to school. She had no parents to look after her as they were big stars in the fashion world, so they never saw her. I tried to go to her apartment but no one would answer. A few days before that happened, we were eating crepes together and I think she was suspecting that something was up. She told me to promise her that I would remain strong and become the best volleyball player ever.” She wiped away more tears. “I’m sorry for going off topic, back to Kamoshida…” before Akira could console her, Akechi had sat next to Akira.

“Let’s get started shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, hope you all had a good weekend! 
> 
> Today I would like to ask for criticism. What could I do to improve this fic? What would you do instead? I have received many nice comments from you guys, but I still need to realise that I am a novice writer - I don't want to think I am doing better than I actually am. If you have tips or criticism, please leave them below.
> 
> See you on Wednesday!


	20. Chapter 20

“Sorry to interrupt your conversation.” Akechi set down his briefcase and looked over to Akira. “Those two and I are looking into getting Kamoshida arrested for the various crimes he has committed. I ask that you speak loudly enough for our unwanted guest that is nearby.” Akira chuckled. Akechi really had an eye for small details, he must have seen Makoto on his way in.

“G-Goro Akechi!?” Shiho seemed surprised to see him. It seemed he was pretty popular, and while he did say he was on TV sometimes, Akira never knew who he was until he got to Tokyo.

“Now now, just think of me as anybody else asking you questions.” Akechi looked over at her bruised face. 

Seeing the faces of the injured just made him want to kill Kamoshida. Selfish adults like him and his own father deserved nothing short of a slow painful death. Unfortunately, as the next detective prince, he had to ensure that he held a positive demeanour. However, he could feel his facade slowly slipping. The idea of countless criminals just being able to do what they want really rubbed him the wrong way. Because of his mother’s death, he was subject to a childhood he wished upon nobody. He had to make the world a better place, but for now he had to do it in a way which was socially acceptable.

“Starting off, it was Kamoshida who did this to you, right?” Akechi took out a notebook. He would need to take some notes, so they could put this plan into action. He would of course first present the evidence to the police, and hope they would do something. Shiho nodded, and Akechi wrote in his notes:

_ Victim injured as a result of Kamoshida.  _

“How long has it been since you noticed Kamoshida abusing his power?” he quizzed the girl.

“Ever since the new year, after everyone came back from Christmas break, he would call students to his office, and do unfathomable things to them.”

Akechi wrote this down, his face tensing. 4 months? Why had no action been taken? What about the teachers? The parents? They were all just allowing this to happen. It took a transfer student in order to get the ball rolling.

“Have you ever complained to your parents about it? Or the teachers? Did they do anything to help you?” Akechi wasn’t doing well at hiding his anger.

“My parents wouldn’t believe me, and neither would the teachers. Even with many students injured, they would just chalk it up to tough practice sessions.” Her face crumpled up. Akechi had heard enough. He slammed his notebook shut and turned to Shiho.

“I appreciate you answering my questions. You will remain anonymous, so you should have nothing to worry about.” Shiho nodded at him.

“Thanks, I should really get going now.” She left and made her way out of the diner. Akechi looked angry. This shocked Akira, as it was a far cry from what he had seen from him before.

“I’ll relay this to the police tomorrow, we should meet in Leblanc tomorrow.” Sumire had been digging into her pancakes, but Akechi’s tone had brought her out of her sweet trance. “And as for you, I think it’s time for you to show yourself.” 

Like clockwork, the three were met with an embarrassed Makoto. The sheer audacity that Akechi showed was enough to silence both Akira and Sumire. 

“Why are you here? Let me guess, you are trying to gain information on us?” Akechi stared at her, his unwavering glare causing her to run out of the diner. Akechi sighed and looked over towards Akira.

“I’m sorry, but it seems they won’t exactly go easy on you when you go to school. It seems they have caught wind of what we plan to do. It’s honestly quite sad in Makoto’s case. She’s probably just doing it for the sake of getting a letter of recommendation, but she could easily get into any top college of her choice just based on natural ability alone.” 

Akira sighed. Now that Makoto knew about the plans, it was possible that she would tell Kamoshida about this. If that was to happen then it would cause trouble for Akira. He was on probation after all. One misstep and he would be on his way to juvenile hall. 

“You seem to know Makoto pretty well Akechi-senpai.” Sumire told Akechi, while finishing off the last part of her crepe.

“I work with her father, as part of an investigation team. I wonder how her father would feel about her situation though. Anyways, I should get going now. See you at Leblanc tomorrow.”

Akechi took his briefcase and made his way out of the diner. Akira stared at his coffee and took a sip. It was serviceable, but nothing compared to the likes of Sojiro’s. Looking at Sumire, Akira let off a small smile.

“I hope we can help everyone who is suffering at Shujin. I wasn’t expecting to be in a situation like this, but I believe what i’m doing is right. I know this sounds selfish of me, but I hope that if Kamoshida does get arrested it would take some of the heat away from me.” He looked back down at his coffee with a sheepish look on his face.

“I can see where you are coming from senpai… I hear the rumours that go around about you, and the looks that people give you. You’re strong for carrying on through this. Not to mention the fact that you want to help the students who spend time mocking you.” She returned the smile back to Akira. 

He was happy that he had found someone with the same beliefs as himself. He wanted to make the world a better place, and to ensure that a situation like his would never occur again.

“Sumire… I would like to apologise again for not stopping you earlier.” He set his coffee down and put his hands on his thighs. “It’s my fault that you got abused by Kamoshida… If i would have stopped you back then, you would’ve been safe.” He clenched his fists. One of the only people who actually looked past the labels that he was given, and he let her walk into that.

“Senpai!” Her tone seemed to alarm Akira. “You don’t need to worry about it. I had my own reasons for going to see him. I appreciate your concern for me, but we are working together, remember? We'll make the school a fairer place, for everyone.” Her countenance hardened as she continued. “I need to save my sister, she is struggling right now. That teacher has full control over her future and it sickens me.” Akira noticed a tear form in the corner of her eyes. “But most of all, I want to show Kasumi that she is important to me. I don’t want to be a burden to her anymore.” It broke Akira’s heart to see Sumire like that - she didn’t deserve this, neither did anyone else. He had to change this - for Kasumi, Sumire, Shiho and the countless others suffering from Kamoshida’s hands.

\-----

Makoto knew she was taking a risk by allowing herself to follow Akira into the diner, but she wasn’t expecting to get caught the way she did. She locked eyes with Akira and quickly hurried to a nearby booth. She had been caught, and they were likely to be on guard when discussing anything further. Makoto sighed while pulling out some folders. She would usually dedicate her time after school to dealing with student council affairs. Sighing, she got out a folder and started working through the various complaints and suggestions she had been given.

Firstly,  _ Reinstate the track team.  _ This was requested by a former teammate of Ryuji Sakamoto. The reason for disbandment was that the star got injured during a training session. Well, that was the reason given by the PE department, but Akira told her that it was all Kamoshida’s doing… Unfortunately, she didn’t have the power to do such a thing, but if she could, then she would. 

Secondly,  _ Remove Akira Kurusu from Shujin Academy.  _ Once Makoto had finished reading the reasons for it, she let out a small gasp. A large majority of students really wanted him gone, and the reasons ranged from being annoying to accusations of abuse. She didn’t have the power to remove a student either, but she couldn’t help but feel like he was being hunted despite not interacting with the majority of them. 

Moving onto the third request, she had begun to read it but the voice of Shiho cut into her focus. She was speaking about her friend that went missing. She had heard talks about it when she was in her second year, but the police closed the case after they couldn’t find her. It was sad, and that story was the talk of Shujin during her second year. Of course, Akira’s arrival was the main topic once she got into the 3rd year and became head of the Student council.

Makoto then heard the diner door open and looked towards the entrance. She saw Akechi sitting next to Akira, he took out his notebook and set his briefcase down. She turned back to her administrative work, but froze when she heard Akechi speak. 

“I ask that you speak loudly enough for our unwanted guest that is nearby.”

Makoto almost choked on air, how did he notice she was there? She kept her head down and listened in on their conversations. Akechi proceeded to ask Shiho a variety of questions, in an interview style. Once they had finished up, Shiho left and Makoto went back to her work. She had heard they were meeting at Leblanc tomorrow. Unfortunately for her, she wouldn’t exactly be welcomed there so she had to do something else. The shadow of the principal weighed on her heavily, the last thing she wanted to do was get involved with this, but she had to. For her future.

“And as for you, I think it’s time for you to show yourself.” 

Makoto froze. There was no way out of this situation, no back door or emergency exit she could sneak out from. She sighed and made her way to the table that she was listening in on. She kept her head down, it was obvious to her that her face was beginning to redden, and Makoto did not want the others to see.

“Why are you here? Let me guess, you are trying to gain information on us?” 

Another astute observation from Akechi threw Makoto off balance. He glared at her, his anger was clear to see. There was nothing Makoto could say, so she decided to hurriedly make her way outside of the diner and into the crowds of Shibuya. While not usually being a huge fan of large crowds, Makoto savoured this opportunity to get back on track. As much as she just wanted this Kamoshida situation over, it seemed it wasn’t over yet. She would have to stop Akira from meeting the others at Leblanc. 

* * *

**Friday 22nd April 2016**

Another day, another slog at school, Akira thought to himself as he made his way out of Leblanc. At least this time he had some of Sojiro’s coffee to energise him. He pulled his phone out on the train and decided to check up on Ryuji.

**Akira:**

Hey. How are you holding up?

Akira didn’t expect Ryuji to be an early riser, so the subsequent vibration coming from his pocket was a definite surprise to him.

**Ryuji:**

I’m trying my hardest. I think the fact that I might not run competitively ever again has finally clicked with me. Also with the track team being disbanded and all, i’m sure they all hate me now.

Akira felt sympathy for Ryuji - his whole life had been flipped upside down by that Kamoshida, it was horrifying to think that one person could do what Kamoshida did with no repercussions. Ryuji had lost his main goal in life, and with that, any hope of that scholarship to make life easier for his mom was gone.

**Akira:**

I can only imagine how that feels. Sorry i’m not great with trying to cheer people up, but if you need anything dropped by at the hospital, let me know.

He wished he could be there for his friend in his time of need, but alas, school felt like the only constant in his life.

Once he had arrived to homeroom, Kawakami pulled him aside. 

“Stay here after classes end for the day, I need a word.” She seemed even more deadpan than ever, which unnerved Akira enough for the upcoming meeting to be a constant issue nagging at the back of his head.

That time also came quicker than expected for Akira, as lessons went by without him noticing, the tip-tapping of rain on the windows bringing him back into the real world, preparing him for his very real meeting. However Kawakami wasn’t present. He looked up to the clock. 3:15. Classes have been out for about 10 minutes now, so surely it would be okay for him to sneak out. He packed his bag and walked towards the door, hoping that he could sneak through without being caught. As he walked towards the door he saw the handle move. He sighed and went back to his seat. Surprisingly, it wasn’t just Kawakami who was attending the meeting. Surprise surprise, Akira thought to himself as he saw Makoto enter the room with her. He sat at a nearby desk and looked at the two.

“Thanks for coming, Kurusu-kun.” Akira had decided from the start that he would remain silent. He did not want to entertain any ideas that Makoto might have given to the administration. “We need to discuss two things: First of all, your attainment. Your grades have been slipping steadily since you have arrived at Shujin.” Akira remained totally deadpan, which irked Kawakami.

“Well? Is there any reason for this?” Akira remained silent. He didn’t care about his grades for now, there were more important things on his mind at that moment in time.

“I think I can answer that question for him, Ms Kawakami.” Makoto said matter-of-factly. “You’ve been trying to find information about Kamoshida haven’t you?” Once again, Akira remained totally deadpan. He would love to tell Kawakami that Makoto once said she wanted to get involved, but he liked to think he was above petty behaviour like that. 

“Staying silent is as good as admitting it you know.” Makoto used her matter-of-fact tone again. To Akira, Makoto was no different to anyone else. Just someone who wanted to reach the top, and didn’t seem to care about who she had to trample on in order to get there.

“It’s none of your business you know, you really shouldn’t -” her speech was cut off by the sound of Akira’s chair moving. He had heard enough. Akira wasn’t about to entertain them any further, especially as it became obvious to him that this was just to slow him down. Makoto was there when Akechi told them to meet at Leblanc.

Akira walked past both of them like they didn’t exist, and walked down the hall. He had to save them, no matter what. 

* * *

_ Earlier that day… _

Akechi was happy with the progress that was made in his case with Kamoshida. Usually, he wouldn’t get involved with cases outside of his work, but there was something about Akira that made him realise that it just made sense to help out the students of Shujin Academy. He walked along the corridors of the police station while trying to think of a plan which would ensure that Kamoshida got what he deserved. First things first, he had to present his evidence to his boss. He turned the corner and looked at a door with a plaque on it.

_ Chief Inspector Niijima. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all. This is the 20th chapter of An Unjust Society! It's all thanks to you we got to the milestone! There is a lot more to come so I hope that you all continue to read. As always, feedback is appreciated.
> 
> Have a good Wednesday, and I will see you on Friday for the next chapter!


	21. Chapter 21

Chief Inspector Niijima was highly respected in the police force. It was largely due to him quashing criminal gangs in the Tokyo area, and his steadfast attitude helped make the city a better place. However, there were rumblings of a resurgence; despicable criminals using young adults to gain money. Goro Akechi knew this, and he had been working with him to crack the case. 

He knocked on the door and waited.

“Who is it?!” A gruff voice came back, but Akechi noticed something was off.

“It’s Akechi.” he answered.

“Come in.” Akechi walked in to see the man hunched over, looking at his laptop. Inspector Niijima was an exceptionally hard worker, and it wasn’t always to his benefit. He took a seat and got his notebook from his bag.

“I’ve got some information about a case which I think should garner a lot of attention.” He opened the notebook and began to read off his notes. “There is a teacher that is abusing students. Suguru Kamoshida.” He said while pointing to a picture of him. “This abuse is widespread, victims seem to all involve themselves in PE. He is abusing his position of power.”

The inspector looked at him, as if he was encouraging him to continue.

“These incidents seem to be known by the administration, but no action is being taken. I think it is safe to assume that he holds a degree of power over the rest of the school. I know about 4 actions of abuse already, but it is highly likely that there are a lot more that happen that I am not aware of. Firstly, there is Ryuji Sakamoto.” He turned the page, which had various notes about his situation. “He is regarded as one of the best young track stars there is. That is what I would like to say, but an encounter with Kamoshida led to him being hospitalised. It is unlikely that he will ever be able to run competitively again, considering he sustained an insane injury to his leg. The next suspec-”

The inspector was listening attentively but he had a question. “How do you know all of this? You aren’t in education at this moment in time.”

Akechi let off a small smile and looked towards the inspector. “Once I reach the end of my notes, i’ll talk about my source. Next up, we have the Yoshizawa sisters, Kasumi and Sumire. Two extremely talented young gymnasts, who have become victims. I don’t have much information on Kasumi, but according to her sister who has spoken to me, she would come home from ‘special training’ battered and bruised. Her sister tried to stop her, but it seems that Kamoshida has a lot of control when it comes to their futures, so this eventually led the other sister, Sumire into his clutches.” Akechi’s face began to stiffen. “I was enjoying coffee, at some small cafe in Yongen-Jaya, when Sumire came through the door. She was almost unconscious, and after a doctors report, she sustained multiple injuries.” Akechi took a deep breath. It was hard for him to remain calm.

“Finally, we have Suzui Shiho.” He turned to his last page of notes. “She, like the other victims, is a promising sportswoman. She is the captain of the women’s volleyball team. My source found her crying, and took her to a nearby diner. I interviewed her, and got some more insight into this situation. First of all, Suguru Kamoshida is a gold medalist volleyball player, and is teaching PE at Shujin Academy. It seems that over time, he began to change. I can also deduce she is a victim of blackmail, considering at first she didn’t want to cooperate out of fear of losing her starting position on the volleyball team.” He closed his book and looked towards the inspector. 

“I’ve also heard rumblings that there have been multiple police calls to Shujin Academy, but all of these incidents have been swept under the rug, and nothing has been done.”

Inspector Niijima’s face seemed to drain of colour, he turned his desk chair towards the window.

“I can think of one reason why that could be happening.” Akechi’s eyes widened, before he put his notebook away.

“Now… about my source. His name is Akira Kurusu, and he is currently on probation.” The inspector turned back around to Akechi and looked at him.

“That name sounds familiar.” He put his hand on his face, and tried to think.

“I think he is a victim. Simply put, I don’t believe that he is capable of what his charge denotes. In fact, it was him that first brought this to my attention. I am not one for inserting myself into anyone’s business especially if it wouldn’t benefit me in any way but he asked for my help - and he seemed perfectly genuine about it, too. He gets bullied at school because of the labels this society has thrust upon him and yet he still wants to help everyone else out.” 

The inspectors face dropped, as if he was about to give out some bad news.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t put resources into this case right now. We are really focusing on this case with the criminal gang that is operating inside of Shibuya.” 

Akechi looked surprised, before his signature indifferent face came back.

“Very well. I’ll take this into my own hands.”

Before the inspector could object, Akechi had made his way out of the room.

The inspector picked up his phone and frantically dialed a number.

“Yes.” “I’m working on it.” “No, not at all.” the inspector’s face was growing more and more panicked after every second. “Understood. Sorry for bothering you.”

* * *

**Evening, Leblanc.**

Akira had managed to get home in time for the meeting with Sumire and Akechi. He was sure that the meeting was Makoto’s idea, and was just a ploy in order to stop them from meeting up. He was surprised with the callousness hidden behind Makoto’s actions. He knew she was dedicated when it came to her future, but was it really worth ignoring that suffering? This was a thought that often sat in his mind. There must be someone making her act like this. She seemed kind and considerate during their prior meetings. However, he couldn’t spend time deliberating with himself in regards to whether she was innocent or not. The two would be coming soon, and Sojiro asked him to help close up the shop.

“Hey kid. How is school going for you at the moment?” Sojiro asked him as he began to prepare tomorrow’s curry. Leblanc always had the faint smell of curry attached to it. Akira didn’t mind though - after all the curry was delicious and smelt like heaven too.

“I’m doing okay, I guess.” Akira was on washing up duty. He didn’t mind doing the occasional chore, especially considering he was essentially freeloading. Leblanc wasn’t a particularly busy place either, so he never had to do much work. Sojiro hung up his apron and looked towards Akira.

“Just keep your head down and stay out of trouble. I don’t want you bringing any trouble here, got it?” Akira nodded as he watched Sojiro lock up. He finished washing up and slouched down in one of the booths. Today was tiring enough for him, despite yesterday being more busy. It took every piece of willpower that Akira had not to explode in front of Kawakami and Makoto. He couldn’t stomach the thought of being aware of something, and not doing anything about it.

He pulled out his phone and created a group chat with him, Akechi and Sumire.

**Akira:**

Leblanc is ready, come whenever.

Akira wasn’t expecting a fast response, but was surprised by multiple vibrations coming from his phone.

**Akechi:**

I’ll be there soon.

**Sumire:**

Me too, I'll also bring some food.

**Akechi:**

That would be lovely, thanks. Work has been busy so I didn’t get the chance to pick anything up.

**Akira:**

Sounds good Sumire. See you soon.

Akira lounged back. He didn’t feel like a high schooler, he felt more like a crimefighter. It was a new feeling for him, however he found himself missing doing more normal high school stuff. He sighed and looked upon the table. There laid a crossword puzzle, very similar to the one that Sojiro would often have a go at.

Flicking through the pages, he found an empty puzzle and began working on it. Akira was aware that he could have and should have been studying with this time, but he just wanted to let off some steam. He must have lost track of time, as he was surprised to hear the bell ring.

“You’re here early.” He looked towards Akechi and Sumire.

“Well, i’m not too sure you can call an hour ‘early’.” Akechi said while smiling. Sumire giggled, and held up some Big Bang Burger bags.

“I didn’t know what to get, so I just got us some burgers.” 

Akira gave her a reassuring smile. “Should an athlete like yourself really be eating that kind of food?” Akira said, hoping Sumire would pick up on his jokey tone. Sumire let off a smile and laughed.

“I mean, did you see me demolish my crepe earlier?! I do enjoy indulging myself, senpai!.”

Akira and Sumire shared laughter and smiles, while sitting at the center booth.

“Let’s get started.” Akechi said, while taking out a notebook. “We need to formulate a plan. The two most important factors are that we make sure he gets arrested, and we all come out of this situation unharmed.” Akira and Sumire nodded. “Regrettably, we won’t be getting direct police help with this.” Akechi looked down, before looking up at the ceiling. “The police currently have their hands tied with another case.” 

Akira sighed, it would be a lot more difficult to do this without the police’s help.

“Surely some teacher has to believe us, right?” Sumire looked at the two, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. “After all, all we need is one teacher to call the police, and it should be sorted, right?”

Akira looked at Akechi, sharing a solemn look, then looked back at Sumire. “Unfortunately, I don’t think it will be that easy. I am sure that all the teachers are aware of the abuse, and they choose to turn a blind eye to it.” This response caused Sumire to hang her head low.

“I think he is right. They must all benefit with him being there, especially the principal. Having a gold medal coach teaching at your school would do a lot for its reputation, after all.” Akechi added on to Akira’s theory.

“Well… What about Dr Maruki?” Akira asked the two. He had thought about him earlier, and first thought having his help would be useless, but wanted to see what the other two thought about it. “He isn’t really a teacher after all…” Akechi thought on the statement for a while and looked at Akira.

“Maruki? Is he your councilor?” Akira nodded. “I doubt he will have much power, to be honest. It’s likely any resistance from him would cause him to lose his job.” It was just as Akira thought, he wouldn’t exactly be a lot of help.”

“But if we get Kamoshida arrested, they wouldn’t fire him, right?” She had a spark in her eye. Akira thought that her optimism was respectable, especially after what she had been through. “The outcry would be huge, I know more than a few people who really benefit from what he provides.”

Akechi looked at her, totally deadpan. “Sumire you mustn't underestimate the power that those in charge have. They could easily spin it as him leaving voluntarily, and no one would be any wiser. It is truly regrettable, but I think we will have to do it ourselves.”

Akira wished that it didn’t have to be like this. There were support systems in place for those types of things, but it seemed that even those systems couldn’t help.

“Well, we could have someone go in with a hidden camera and then we can hand it over to the police, you work with them don’t you?” Akira looked to Akechi as he spoke.

“Did you really forget? One of the first things I said was to come out of the situation unharmed, there’s no conceivable way that method would end without someone being injured.” Akira thought he could hear a sense of malice in his voice.

“My bad… What else could we do though? Would ensuring it happens in school be easier?

Akira was running out of ideas. He had to come up with something.

“I think having it take place outside of school would in fact be a lot easier.” Akechi’s response was enough to make Akira and Sumire turn their heads towards him. “I can’t enter the school, as i’m not a student there. Not to mention I am sure that Kamoshida is aware that you are snooping, Akira.” Akira’s face went through a multitude of emotions. First, confusion, Then thought, and finally, realisation.

“I suppose that makes sense. But how exactly are we going to be able to catch him outside of school?” Akira asked Akechi.

“At his house of course.” The mere mention of Kamoshida’s house sent a shiver down Sumire’s spine. “If we have someone go in there the-”

“Wait a minute, didn’t you say before that we should make sure that no one gets harmed?” Sumire asked Akechi. “That seems even more dangerous than doing it at the school.”

“Well, it works both ways. Me and Akira could both be waiting outside if things start to get messy.” 

Akira did not like the sound of this plan. “Akechi, you aren’t suggesting that Sumire goes to his house alone are you? Remember what happened last time?”

“Will you let me finish?” Akechi’s tone changed. “She can call one of us, and have her phone record what happened. If we hear that things are going south, we can go in and try to diffuse the situation.”

Akechi and Akira started to argue about the nuances of the plan. Akira was mostly focused on Sumire’s safety, and how it was very possible that it could go wrong. Sumire was silent for the whole affair until she spoke up.

“Sounds good to me.” Akira was surprised with her agreement on the plan.

"You can't be serious. After what happened last time? I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if something happened there."

"Senpai, it's fine. You don't have to worry about me. I want to stop him as much as you do. Plus, you two will be there for me in case anything goes wrong, right?" 

Akira still wasn't 100% sure but wasn't about to stop Sumire. They all shared a confident nod.

“I almost forgot about this, all this discussion has made me starving!” Sumire exclaimed. She took out the bags and gave everyone their food. It had been a long time since Akira felt like this, he had almost forgotten the feeling of having good fun with friends. While the food was pretty much cold now, the feeling of spending time with people who cared for him made the food taste much better. Akira looked over to Akechi, he had some tomato ketchup on his face. Akira giggled and looked over to Sumire. He motioned his eyes towards Akechi and Sumire looked over.

“Senpai…” She said before bursting into laughter. Akechi seemed less than amused.

“What is it?!” he ordered. “I’m trying to enjoy my food here.” Sumire calmed down before responding to him.

“You have some ketchup on your face, senpai.” She said as she pointed to his cheek. Akechi put his hand on his cheek and felt the ketchup on his hand. He looked at it and gave what looked to be a smile.

“Well, I suppose you could say that is pretty humorous.” He said with something resembling a smile on his face. The three laughed, and for once, they had forgotten about the dark cloud hovering above their heads. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! This chapter pushes us over the 50k word count. I can't begin to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my fic! Since posting chapter 20, we have surpassed 5000 hits! 
> 
> What first started as random passing thoughts has now become a story in which I enjoy writing - and judging by the comments, you guys are enjoying it too! If you have any feedback, then please leave it below! It helps motivate me to make the story even better!
> 
> P.S We will soon be entering the climax of the Kamoshida arc. Look forward to it!


	22. Chapter 22

After sending off Sumire and Akechi, Akira headed up to his room and surveyed his surroundings. If he was going to stay there for a year, then he might as well try to give it his own personal flair. Unfortunately, for now he only had his TV, but considering golden week was coming up it was likely he could pick up some things on sale, especially if he worked hard at 777.

It was getting late, so Akira headed to bed. The plan was there; he just had to decide when to do it. Before golden week started would probably be the best case scenario. If he had that weight off his shoulders then he should be able to enjoy golden week with Akechi and Sumire. His thoughts eventually trailed off as he found himself growing tired.

**Saturday 23rd April 2016**

Akira felt rested from his sleep, an experience he wasn’t exactly used to. He checked his phone. He had even managed to wake up earlier than usual. He went to the bathroom and began to brush his teeth. His strokes began to slow though - he had been so caught up with making the plan yesterday he forgot about the possible repercussions he would face due to him walking out of the meeting. He knew it wasn’t likely for him to be kicked out due to this, since it wasn’t a severe rule break, but he knew he wasn’t doing any favours for his reputation. 

After changing into his uniform, he headed out towards the train station. After arriving at the train station, he kept his head down and waited for the train. He was so lost in thought that a vibration coming from his phone almost made him jump.

**Sumire:**

Hey senpai! Would you like to join me for lunch today?

**Akira:**

Sounds good, see you in the cafeteria. 

Akira headed on the train and took out his phone. There wasn’t much to do on his commute, but he would’ve preferred if he could have spent that time a little more productively. The constant chatter of people complaining about their jobs would grate on Akira. He thought that perhaps he should invest in a pair of headphones. While not necessarily productive, it would make his commute a lot more comfortable. 

The route to Aoyama-Itchome was even worse. Due to a large business complex being there, the train wasn’t only filled with noisy students, but also businesspeople who would speak far too loudly on their phones. It was enough to give Akira a headache. Regardless of whatever was happening on the train, Akira had a feeling that this day wouldn’t turn out to be the best. As he walked out from the Aoyama-Itchome station, he began to feel the light drops of rain that came down from the heavens. He hadn’t brought his umbrella either, so he had to speed up to make sure he wouldn’t arrive at school absolutely soaked through. 

He had entered Shujin Academy with a few minutes to spare, so he decided to check out the vending machine. He picked up a couple of drinks and put them in his bag. He took his time as he headed towards Kawakami’s room. 

To his surprise, Kawakami didn’t say a word to him. He took out some homework, and began to answer questions.

_ I hear he is snooping on Kamoshida. _

_ What? Is he jealous or something? _

_ I have heard rumours about him though, apparently training is brutal. _

_ Do you think I have a chance with that shogi girl? _

Akira ignored that last one. It seemed that the student body knew that he was investigating. Was this the administration’s doing? Akira thought it was likely that they were trying to discourage him from taking things further. Akira closed his eyes, he wasn’t going to let words sway him. 

Firstly, he had Biology. It was going well, and Akira was able to concentrate on his notes. That was until he heard the intercom buzz.

_ Akira Kurusu to the principal’s office, Akira Kurusu to the principal’s office.  _

Akira’s heart sunk. If the principal wanted to see him, that likely meant that whatever punishment he was in for would likely be serious. His thoughts were racing a mile a minute - Could he deal with juvenile hall? What would Sojiro say when he found out? What about his parents? Akira rose from his chair and left the classroom. Would he be able to stop Kamoshida if he was expelled? Did his lapse in judgement cause him his place in school? Most importantly, would Akira be able to protect his friends?

Akira walked down the hall and towards the office. He knocked on the door and after receiving the cue to come in, he saw Makoto, Kawakami and the principal sat looking at him. If there was a time he wanted the ground to swallow him up, it would be now. The prying eyes made him feel like he was shrinking.

“Take a seat.” the principal ordered, the sternness in his voice was almost palpable. Akira took a seat and kept his head down. This time, he couldn’t walk out.

“Akira Kurusu, you are aware that Shujin is a centre of excellence, right?” Akira nodded, he knew that the principal wouldn’t like the silent treatment, but he needed time. Time to think. “At this moment in time, you are not reaching our standards.” Kobayakawa took out a folder and turned to a page which had a picture of Akira on it. “Looking at this, your grades weren’t too bad, so why have they dropped all of a sudden?” Akira just shrugged his shoulders. “That isn’t a satisfactory answer. You are aware that if you get kicked out of here, no other school will take you, yes?” Akira just nodded, which seemed to aggravate Kobayakawa even more. “If it wasn’t for circumstances outside of my control, I would have had you kicked out right this instant!” Kobayakawa was turning red, and Akira knew he had to say something soon. If he didn’t this was likely to hurt him more.

“What’s happening with you and Mr Kamoshida?” Kawakami asked. Akira looked at her, totally deadpan.

“What?” Kawakami didn’t seem happy with the answer and pressed him further. “You came to me saying that Kamoshida had been abusing students, but you had no proof. Do you have any now?” Akira gulped. This question had put him in a tough situation. He couldn’t reveal what his plans were, but he had to say something to shut her up.

“Does an eyewitness account count as evidence?” Kawakami sneered at him.

“You’re a real problem child, you know?” Akira looked at her, and the principal sighed.

“These allegations are extremely serious. You have a week to rescind them. It is very likely that Kamoshida will take legal action.” Akira’s heart skipped a beat. It seemed he didn’t have long to expose Kamoshida for what he actually was. He would inform Sumire at lunch, and then Akechi after school. Akira looked over to Makoto, she seemed to be deep in thought. “You know what will happen if you get into any more trouble Akira.” 

Kawakami looked at Akira and sighed. “I’ve arranged support for you in regards to your grades. You are to study in the library after school with Makoto every day until your grades start to show signs of improving.” Akira knew this wouldn’t be good, that would stop him from meeting up with the others. “This is non negotiable, and it starts today.” After Kawakami had decided to stop talking, he was dismissed in time for his second period.

As soon as he stepped through the doors, whispers erupted from his classmates. Akira kept his head down and walked to his desks. He heard mumblings ranging from ‘spitting at a teacher’ to ‘he stabbed someone.’

He wasn’t even too concerned with the threat of legal action, the fact that he had to go and study with Makoto every day after school was more of a worry to him. How could he take part in the plan if he was stuck in a library? He knew this was his own fault, considering he had spent too much time focusing on Kamoshida instead of putting more attention into his studies. Akira endured the whispers until lunch time came. He walked to the cafeteria and looked for red hair. Once he had located Sumire he sat at the same table as her. She looked at Akira with a slight frown on her face.

“Senpai… I heard from the intercom that the principal wanted to see you, what did he say to you?” 

Akira kept his head down, he didn’t even want to eat anything. “They want me to stop investigating Kamoshida. They gave me a week to stop.” He looked around the cafeteria and could spot multiple people looking at him and whispering.

“A week? Why are they giving you a time limit?” Sumire asked, as she placed some food into her mouth.

“I have no idea. They said something about legal action, but if it was that serious then wouldn’t he have gone through with it already?” Akira said as he took the bottle out of his bag.

“I think they are trying to scare you off. They know about your situation, so threatening legal action would be something you have to take seriously.” Sumire said, while offering some of her food to Akira. “Come on senpai. You have to eat something.”

Akira shook his head at the proposal. “I think you might be right.” Sumire reacted with surprise. “After all, if I get into any more trouble with the law, then my life is practically over. They must think that using that against me will deter me from finding the truth.” Sumire nodded.

“You’re right senpai! That’s even more reason to carry on. The fact that they are going to such desperate measures to try and stop you must mean that they know you are getting close.” Sumire looked chuffed with herself after that deduction.

“You’re pretty sharp when the going gets tough. By the way, there is one other thing that they said to me.” as he took a swig from his bottle.

“Oh, and what would that be?” She had almost finished her lunch, and was wiping her face with the napkin that came inside her bento box.

“This could affect our plan.” Sumire’s face began to grow concerned. “They want me to study in the library everyday after school. It’s not something that can be easily avoided either.” 

“And why is that?” There wasn’t long until the bell for afternoon lessons would begin, so the two grabbed their bags and made their way out of the cafeteria. 

“The student council president will be there too so it isn’t like I have the option of just walking out.”

“You mean Niijima-senpai? If she was on our side, that would be great, wouldn’t it?” Sumire said. As Akechi said to her the day prior, the school was corrupt.

“It would be great, but she has other priorities. She just wants to get into college, and the principal’s letter of recommendation could do wonders for her.” The bell sounded and Akira looked at Sumire. “See you soon.” They went their separate ways. Akira really didn’t want to study at the library, but it seemed he didn’t really have any choice in the matter.

Afternoon class came and went. Akira had spent the lesson imagining ways that he could get out of studying in the library. He had decided on trying to become one with the crowd and slip through the cracks. That wasn’t meant to be though it seemed - as soon as he walked out of the class he was met with the student council president. 

“Kurusu-kun, I hope you haven’t forgotten about your obligations.” Makoto had a way with words which made everything she said sound obnoxious. Akira kept his head down. “Let’s go to the library, shall we?” She extended her arm towards the stairs. Akira lifted his head up, surveying his surroundings. Many escape routes played out in his head. That was stopped when he saw a tall figure in the distance. It was Kamoshida. The two continued walking towards the stairs, with Akira being extremely aware of that horrible man. He must have been too aware though, as he was quickly noticed by Kamoshida who made his way towards the two. He wouldn’t try anything with the student council president with them, would he?”

“Oh look who it is. The filthy criminal.” Kamoshida was a lot taller than even Akira, who was one of the tallest in his class. Kamoshida looked down at him, arrogance almost materialising in his eyes. “I hear you have been trying to get me in trouble. Listen, I try to be a fair guy, so I can forget about all this happening if you just take back your allegations.” Akira looked up at him, he had tried to remain emotionless but he was struggling.

“I refuse. I have seen what you do to students when you get angry.” Akira held his stare with Kamoshida who grew increasingly annoyed at the boy’s insolence. 

“So you think you’re smart? You’ll be out of this school by this time next week. Enjoy rotting in prison like the scum you are, you piece of shit.” Kamoshida walked off. Akira’s mood was even worse now. He had no patience for this anymore. He would get his just deserts. Akira looked at Makoto, she seemed to be deep in thought, almost like she was deliberating with herself. Akira walked to the library and took a seat, with Makoto following soon after.

“So what would you like to start with?” Makoto asked Akira, who was grabbing a book outside of his bag. It was deadly silent, as Akira began to get on with homework. “It would make things a lot easier if you would work together with me on this… After all your grades are falling.” Akira stayed silent, but her words were slowly grating on him. He was using this time to knock out homework he had previously missed. 

“Ok.” Was all Akira could mumble. He had absolute contempt for Makoto - after all, she said she wanted to help, but was quick to change her mind once her future got called into question. It was almost sickening to him how spineless she was. He wasn’t going to tell her that though - after all, he didn’t know her circumstances.

“Why don’t you just give up with that Kamoshida business? This is your best chance at fixing your future, and yet you’d rather spend that time chasing something that could ruin it?” Akira was still working through his schoolwork, yet stopped after he heard Makoto try and tell him what to do. He looked up at her, he felt like verbally shredding her, but decided against it on the basis she would probably cry about it to the principal. Akira made a point to look visibly annoyed in the hope that Makoto would take note. Unfortunately for him, his signal fell on blind eyes.

“I was honestly surprised that you didn’t take back your allegations when you saw Kamoshida earlier. You must be serious about this.”

Akira nodded. He had to be serious.

“Anyway, your grades are really important, so if you need help then just -” Makoto was interrupted by Akira pushing his book towards her. She picked it up and looked at it. At first she looked rather unimpressed, but as she read on, she found herself impressed with what Akira had written. Why didn’t he do this in class?

“Well Kurusu-kun… You seem to know a lot about this topic. I’m very impressed.” Akira didn’t seem phased by her polite comment.

“Can I leave now?” Akira replied, totally deadpan. She looked shocked at his sudden request and then looked down.

“S-sure, see you on Monday.” Akira packed his bags and looked at Makoto.

“One thing…” Akira said while preparing to leave. Makoto looked at him, with a confused look. “What about your justice?” Akira left the library, and Makoto was still processing what he said. What did he mean?

Akira walked down the steps to leave Shujin Academy and pulled out his phone.

**Akira:**

How does Monday sound to you two?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, I hope you enjoyed your weekend. 
> 
> This week is going to be exciting, especially Friday. Look forward to it!
> 
> As always, if you have any feedback please let me know.


	23. Chapter 23

Akira’s phone buzzed soon after he left the school gates. 

**Akechi:**

So soon? Why is that?

**Akira:**

I have been threatened with legal action. The sooner we can get him into trouble, the better.

**Akechi:**

Legal action? I doubt they would go that far…

**Sumire:**

Senpai told me he had until Friday to rescind his accusations… I think Monday would be a good idea too!

Akira put his phone back into his pocket and walked towards the train station. The day was drawing near, and now that the reality of the situation was hitting him he could feel the nerves. Luckily, he didn’t have school tomorrow - meaning he could use that time to relax and prepare himself for that day. He stood against the wall of the train station and heard his phone buzz again. 

**Akechi:**

Very well, should we meet at Leblanc tomorrow? I think a meeting would do us well.

**Akira:**

Sounds good. It will have to be in the evening though. 

The train had arrived and Akira was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t too busy. He took a seat and stared out of the window. The time had almost come. In doing this, he would help his friends. He had to remind himself of this during the times in which he wished he was just a normal student. The stakes were high; If he were to fail his time in Tokyo would likely be cut short. Not to mention that the teacher would still be there, harassing students. He had arrived in Shibuya and decided to hurriedly walk to the platform that would take him ‘home’.

As he stood waiting for his train, he found his thoughts wandering to all the things that could go wrong. What if he got caught? What if something happened to Sumire? That latter thought especially left Akira on edge. He knew that if he didn’t have something to entertain him, then he would likely just sit in that attic twiddling his thumbs. 

He pulled out his phone, and pulled up the group chat. 

**Akira:**

Would you two like to hang out tomorrow?

**Akechi:**

I’ll pass.

**Sumire:**

C’mon, Akechi-senpai! It will help us relax a little.

**Akira:**

Not to mention we can head to Leblanc after.

Akira watched the chat bubble hover for a second.

**Akechi:**

Fine, but only to take our minds off of our current situation.

Akira smiled as he put his phone away. He wasn’t like this when they visited Kichijoji together. He watched as the train arrived, picking another window seat. What could they do together? Maybe the three of them could catch a movie. Akira wasn’t sure if they would all be able to agree on what to watch. Maybe the batting cages? That could waste some time before Sojiro closed up Leblanc. Maybe they could go to Kichijoji again? He enjoyed going to Penguin Sniper and the Jazz Jin with Akechi.

Akira felt an odd feeling rush over him. Perhaps they were all going as friends?

* * *

Makoto was dumbfounded. What did he mean by “Your own justice?” Makoto sat slumped in her chair, trying to make sense of what had just been said to her. She was surprised at the randomness of his comments. Was he trying to tell her something? She shook her head as she carried on with her own work. She was an honour student after all, it was extremely important that she placed top of her year. Not to mention she had college entrance exams coming up.

She also found herself surprised by Akira’s work. He needed one on one tutoring according to Kawakami, but his work seemed the complete opposite. His articulation and grammar was a lot better than most other 2nd years she had seen. So why was it that Akira needed this? She was due to report to the principal and Kawakami after this. Makoto packed her bags and walked to the principal’s office. After being allowed in, she saw Kawakami and the principal. 

“Well, how did it go?” The principal asked.

“Very well actually. In fact I'd argue he doesn’t need any tutoring. Akira seems very capable, in fact he has produced work which surprised even me.” Makoto replied. The reply didn’t seem to make him very happy though. 

“Carry on tutoring him until at least next Saturday.” Makoto raised one of her eyebrows. It was obvious that he didn’t need any more tutoring, so why did she need to continue? “He knows too much, he must be planning something.”

It was Kawakami’s turn to raise her eyebrows. “He is just a child, what could he do? We have dealt with police calls regarding Kamoshida before, I doubt he is capable of doing much more.” Makoto felt very uncomfortable, they were acting like he was able to do something as big as that.

“We don’t know what outside influence he has. There have been rumours of him being sighted with Goro Akechi, they could be working together.” Makoto knew they must be planning to get him caught, but it didn’t mean much to her whether Kamoshida was or was not in the school. The principal turned to Makoto. “You can go home now. Carry on with the tutoring until Saturday, and I will guarantee you a spot in the best college in the country.” Makoto bowed and walked out.

She heard the two speak, so she kept close to the door. The principal seemed panicked.

“If this gets out, then all of our jobs could be on the line!” the principal roared. Makoto gulped, could her spot as student council president also be in jeopardy? That would certainly make it harder to get into a top college. “Your job could also be lost! Then you would have to rely on your second job wouldn’t you?” Makoto listened in. It was silent for a moment until Kawakami spoke up. 

“How did you know about that?” she seemed distressed based on her tone. Makoto decided to walk away, before she got caught. Was the principal just overreacting? What could Akira really do in the grand scheme of things? All things considered, he was just a high school student. He couldn’t dispense justice like the many police officers and prosecutors that she looked up to. There was no way.

Makoto had a lot of conflicting thoughts as she eventually made her way home. If Akira was to expose everything, she could basically kiss goodbye to her future as student council president, and her dream to become a police commissioner would be practically over - having a reputation as a corrupt official at a school wasn’t exactly a desirable trait.

She shook her head as she entered her room. As usual, it was just her. She slumped on her bed, looking at her buchimaru cushion. What would Buchi-kun do in a situation like this. What was ‘her justice?’

She thought back to her meeting with the principal. He mentioned ‘outside influences’ like Goro Akechi. To her, it did seem like Akechi was helping Akira, but even then the two were still teenagers. Akechi worked with her dad, but he was too preoccupied with his current case, so it wasn’t likely that any help would come from that angle.

Why did it have to be her? She had to play along with these rotten adults just so she would have a chance at a great future. She had to work with the administration for now. She pulled out her phone and went to text Akira.

**Makoto:**

Hey Akira! Your work was great today! Would you like to study again tomorrow?

Makoto put her phone down, her stomach churning. She didn’t want a part in this, and trying to act happy with Akira did not sit well with her.

\-----

Akira had finally made it home to Leblanc. Sojiro looked over to him, a disgruntled look appeared on his face.

“Where have you been?!” Akira tried his hardest not to roll his eyes. He was tired and just wanted to rest. 

“I wanted to study.” He kept his head down as he walked up the steps to his ‘room’. He sat on his bed and pulled out his phone. He scrolled to contacts ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ and looked at the recent messages from the two.

**Mother:**

Just got a phone call from the school, well done on getting the highest score in your class! Your favourite food is waiting for you back home!

Akira smiled as he recalled that fond memory. It was his 1st year finals, and Akira had studied religiously for them. He was ecstatic when his hard work paid off - he was practically beaming when his name was sitting on the top of the board. It was an out of character text from his mother though. The finals were a couple of months after the incident, and before he was due to go to court. The last months in his hometown were tough, his mother would hardly speak to him so the text was a huge surprise from him.

As his phone vibrated, he broke out of his reminiscence. He looked back to his phone to see the undelivered message. That was all in the past now, and it seemed like his parents wanted nothing more to do with him.

He sighed as he went to check his new message, expecting it to be from the group chat.

**Makoto:**

Hey Akira! Your work was great today! Would you like to study again tomorrow?

Akira stared at the message for a second, and then replied.

**Akira:**

No.

There must be some ulterior motive in that question. Besides that, he had a busy day tomorrow, he was especially looking forward to spending some time with his friends. Especially when it had nothing to do with Kamoshida.

**Sunday 24th April 2016**

Akira had been waiting for a day like this for a very long time. He awoke to the smell of coffee, wafting up to the attic. He took out his casual clothes and headed for the bathhouse. He made sure to go early - he knew that it got busy in the evenings. He got in and started to relax. The water felt especially nice today, Akira wondering why he couldn’t just stay in there forever.

After an hour had passed, he made his way out and got himself a drink. As he took a sip from his orange flavoured beverage, he wondered why it tasted so good after going for a bath. He put his clothes back on and headed back to Leblanc. He was packing his bags when Sojiro approached him.

“Where are you going?” His voice seemed softer than yesterday.

“I’m heading out with a few friends.” Sojiro seemed to think it over, and then turned to Akira.

“Very well, just don’t get into trouble. It will look bad on me if you get caught stealing or handling drugs.” Akira nodded and walked out of Leblanc, pulling the group chat up.

**Akira:**

Where should we go today? I was thinking the arcade, we could also watch a movie if you’d like.

**Akechi:**

The arcade sounds fun, it has been a while since I frequented one.

**Sumire:**

Good idea senpai! It would be great to blow off some steam by playing some games!

**Akira:**

Sounds good, should we meet at the arcade then?

After agreeing to meet up at the arcade, Akira made his way to Shibuya. He was excited just to relax for a moment, even if it was just for a few hours. Central Street was extremely busy, so Akira wondered if the two would be able to find him. He sent a text to the group chat informing the two that he was there. Within a few minutes, they had arrived at the arcade. As they walked in they were greeted by a variety of flashing lights and many different sounds. Akira walked up to the gun machine and looked at the two. Akechi looked unamused, while Sumire looked like she wanted to play. Akira had a hopeful look on his face, while Akechi shook his head.

“I’ll pass.” he said, totally deadpan.

“I’ll play with you senpai! Let’s go!” She hurriedly took the other gun next to Akira and turned to him. “I don’t actually know how to play this game, so you’ll have to teach me, senpai.” She had a sheepish smile on her face.

Akira let out a small giggle, and showed her how to play the game. 

“So I just point the gun at the enemies, and press this?” Akira watched on as she pulled the trigger. The noise it made after scared Sumire, which only made Akira laugh even more.

“Let’s start!” Akira said as he pointed the gun at the screen and started the game. Sumire spent a lot of the game moving acrobatically, as if the bullets were real and she had to dodge them. Akira hadn’t played this specific game in a long time so he knew he was going to be pretty rusty. Akira rubbed his hair as they had failed to get past the first stage. Akira turned to Akechi and smiled at him.

“It’s your turn.” Akechi shook his head once again. 

“C’mon senpai! It’s super fun, I promise!” Sumire said, motioning him over. Akechi looked at her, he could tell she was not going to take no for an answer. He sighed and took Sumire’s gun. He played around with it and inspected the gun.

“This looks pretty futuristic. Almost like something out of a science fiction movie.” He turned to Akira. “I have never played games like this, so I hope you will go easy on me.” Akira watched as he held the gun with one hand. Akechi looked at him and smiled. “My apologies, am I holding it all wrong?” Akira laughed as he heard Akechi try to justify himself.

“Hold it how you want, we are here to enjoy ourselves.” He smiled over to Akechi. “Let’s get started.” Akechi seemed to be very good at the game, dispatching swaths of enemies with ease. Akira was struggling to keep up with him. After they had finished, Akechi looked over to the screen and smiled. They had reached the penultimate level.

“Beginners luck.” He said as he looked over to Akira. “Frighteningly realistic, if I do say so myself. We should do this again sometime.” Akira looked over to him.

“How many people do you kill for work then?” Akira said with a half smile. Akechi only laughed, before looking back at him.

“About 5.” He said with no emotion. “I’m only kidding. This game just feels oddly nostalgic to me. Reminds me of the days I would run around the house pretending to be a her-” Their conversation was interrupted by a scream.

They looked to see Sumire, who had her face pressed against the glass of a claw machine. Akira and Akechi walked towards her, she had her eyes fixed on a Jack Frost plushie. She took out some coins and tried to get her desired toy. After a few attempts she gave up and turned to the two boys, failing at hiding her defeated expression.

“Oh well, you can’t win them all…” She looked towards the two, before walking towards the exit.

Akira went over to console her. “Sumire… It’s fine that you didn’t get anything from the machine. I’m sure we can find something better in a shop somewhere.” Akira scratched his head. He wasn’t great at helping people deal with their feelings, and was hyper aware of the fact that he almost sounded like a dad.

“I know… sorry for storming out like that, I don’t know what came over me. It’s only a - oh my!” She exclaimed. Akira was surprised until he turned around and saw Akechi holding the exact plushie that Sumire wanted. She smiled and took it out of his hands. 

“I know the claw machine tricks. It didn’t take me too many attempts.” his nonchalant attitude said it all.

“Thank you senpai! You’re so kind!” Sumire was practically beaming with joy.

“K-kind?!” Akechi looked down, before clearing his throat. 

Sumire’s smile was practically infectious, and Akira couldn’t help but feel himself smiling.

Sumire looked over to the two, with a wide eyed expression. It seemed like she had a good idea.

“We need to make a memory of this moment! Should we take a photo?” She exclaimed, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

“That sounds like a good idea. I will take the picture.” Akechi told the two.

Sumire shook her head. “No way, Akechi-senpai. I’m sure we can get someone else to take it for us.” Sumire walked away and approached a stranger.

“She’s asking a stranger?” Akechi asked Akira.

“You know what Sumire is like. Once she gets an idea in her head, it is almost impossible to stop her.” Akira replied.

“Heh, I guess you are right. Still, do I really have to be in the picture.” Akechi mumbled.

Akira gave him a nudge. “Come on, it will make her happy.”

She came back with a woman who had offered to take the photo for them.

“Let’s get together then!” Sumire explained. She held up her Jack Frost plushie. “Akechi, make sure you smile, okay?”

_ Snap! _

Sumire received her phone back, and started giggling.

“Anyway, I think it would be a good idea if we head back to Leblanc now. We are starting the plan tomorrow, after all.”

“I agree.” Akira said. The trip home was a happy one, with many a conversation about their time in the arcade. The sunset over Yongen-Jaya was picturesque, but Akira couldn’t take his mind off of tomorrow. It almost seemed like a heist.

Sojiro was already packing up when the three had arrived. They shared a grunt as Sojiro locked up. Akira put on his apron and started to brew some coffee.

“Let’s start from the top, then shall we.” Akechi said, while taking a seat in the booth. 

* * *

Akira still had doubts about the plan, but at least he could now say he knew his role in the plan. He decided to go to bed early, but that didn’t stop all the possibilities from playing out in his head. He finally managed to doze off, after an hour of agonizing worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, you may be wondering why I am uploading another chapter so soon after the last, and that is because I am putting this fic into hiatus.
> 
> I have 4 chapters on the backlog, and I will be releasing one of them a day.
> 
> The climax of the Kamoshida arc is coming tomorrow, so please look forward to it.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter that I have been looking forward to sharing with you guys ever since I had written it.
> 
> It's longer than my usual chapters, and a piece of writing that I am very proud of.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also, for any not aware, I posted a chapter yesterday, make sure to check it out first if you haven't.

**Monday 25th April 2016**

Akira woke in a cold sweat. A beam of sunlight hitting his face was his alarm for today. Nervousness hit him almost instantly, today was the day. Dragging himself out of his bed, he went to brush his teeth. It still felt weird to him - it was almost like he was about to commit some egregious crime like robbing a bank. He had to remember the plan. Luckily for him, it wouldn’t start until after the bell rang for the end of school. After putting on his school uniform, he gulped as he walked towards the door.

Usually he would find the walk between Leblanc and the station quite peaceful in the mornings. The birds chirping would remind him of his hometown, one which was way less densely populated than Tokyo. Yongen-Jaya was a nice middle ground for him though, it wasn’t too sparse, but wasn’t packed like Shibuya. Today was different however, and the quietness had unsettled him. He knew there was no other way, but it wasn’t possible for Akira to get all the possibilities out of his head. This could go horribly wrong.

The journey was filled with endless worry for Akira, but he had to contain himself. He was to meet with Sumire at lunch and after the bell rang to confirm details with her before the plan was to start. Akechi managed to get a day off, and he would start once Akira gave him the signal. Homeroom and the lessons following it was a drag to say the least, Kawakami was especially annoyed at him for not taking any notes.

The bell for lunch would be his saving grace though, as he rushed down the hall to head to the cafeteria. Many students would just think he was extremely excited to try the cafeteria’s ‘food’ but he was there to see Sumire. He had to confirm the details of the plan, and to see how she was holding up. Once he got there he placed his bag down and took out his phone. He was too preoccupied to eat any breakfast or grab a drink from the vending machine, and it came back to bite him.

Sumire came by soon after. Akira was surprised to see that she seemed perfectly fine. She was either very good at hiding her emotions or she genuinely had no fear. She looked at Akira with a soft smile. 

“I can’t wait for this all to be over. Me and my sister have a gymnastics meet very soon, and I hope we can both perform well. Would you like to watch? I’m sure I could get you a couple of tickets.”

“I think that’s a great idea. I will be rooting for you.” His voice croaked, and Sumire was quick to pick up on it.

“You’re scared about what could happen, aren’t you? It will all turn out fine, I assure you. Anyway, what’s the worst that could happen?” She said, cheerfully. “First of all, I managed to memorise his address, i’ll send it over to you now.”

“Huh? How did you even remem-”

“I had a feeling I would be returning there again, after all I would need to in order to ensure that Kasumi could stay safe. I never thought that it would be like this though!”

Akira couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She really didn’t seem to think that this could go wrong. It kind of made him feel silly, considering he had spent a long time fretting over what could go wrong. Maybe it was something about her smile that seemed to relax him, but if she thought it would be okay, then he was inclined to agree.

“What’s happening with you and Makoto then? Won’t she be annoying you to study with her again?” She asked Akira.

“I’ll make up some excuse to get her out of the way, it’s fine.” he said, looking towards her. 

“So you want me to call you before you go and see him?” She nodded and picked up her bag.

“Lunch will be over soon, remember to record the call too, so it can be used as evidence.” She said as she walked off. Akira looked at his phone to see the address, and pulled it up on his map app. It was within walking distance from Shujin, much to Akira’s relief. He forwarded the address over to Akechi and walked to his afternoon class. All he had to do was call her after class had ended, and it would turn out fine.

Afternoon class was mostly a bore, however the crackling of the intercom got Akira’s attention. 

_ Sumire Yoshizawa to the PE faculty office, Sumire Yoshizawa to the PE faculty office. _

Akira instantly shot up in his seat. That wasn’t what was supposed to happen. He needed to do something to stop this, his class was pretty close to the faculty office.

He checked the clock, 10 minutes until class would be let out. There is no way she would take 10 minutes to get there. He had to think fast. He put his hands up, trying to get the teacher’s attention. He looked over to him.

“Excuse me, but I really, really need to go to the toilet.” Akira said, totally deadpan.

“There are only 10 minutes left for this lesson, surely you can wait that long.” That reply made Akira sink into his seat. For once, he didn’t care about the giggles or the whispers happening around him. The uncertainty was making him nervous, if he didn’t know what was going to happen then he would assume the worst. Those 10 minutes seemed like an eternity to him, he checked the clock so many times that at one point he was sure it was broken. Once the bell finally rang, Akira rushed to the toilets. He checked to see if he was alone and pulled out his phone. The coast was clear, so he decided to call Akechi.

“Akechi, this is bad.” Akira tried to not sound panicked, but he was sure he wasn’t doing a great job at this. “Sumire got called into Kamoshida’s office before I could get to her. I don’t know what will happen…” 

“Akira, you need to calm down. This could just be a minor inconvenience. I’ll go to the address that you sent me and keep a lookout. Any idea when you will be able to make it there?” Akechi replied. Akira found that Akechi’s straight-to-the-point attitude helped him relax a little. 

“I don’t know if Makoto saw me, if she hasn’t I will be there as soon as I can. Otherwise I will try and get out as soon as I can.” Akira said through heightened breaths.

“Understood. Please try to not lose your head over this, we need to pull it off.”

Akira took a deep breath and left the toilets.

“Oh, Kurusu-kun! I thought you had left. Let’s get started, shall we?”

* * *

Sumire was feeling confident about this. She had noticed that she had seen Akira looking restless after meeting him at lunch. He had been worried about her on multiple occasions, and while she knew his concerns weren’t misplaced, she had a feeling that he was worrying a bit too much. 

She was aware that her part of the plan required the most luck, and it could turn south very quickly. That didn’t stop her though. While she hardly spoke to Kasumi anymore, she had a desire that outshone anyone’s. She wanted to get to the top of the gymnastics world with her sister at her side - and to do that she needed to remove the burden that was hanging over her sister.

Remembering the time that Akira and Akechi spent with her yesterday, she smiled. They didn’t know each other that well, but it was the most fun she had in awhile. Luckily they snapped a picture together, so Sumire took out her phone to give it another look. There she was, a wide smile across her face. She was carrying the Jack Frost plushie that Akechi had won for her. Standing next to her was Akira, who was also smiling. It made her happy to see that he looked to be genuinely enjoying himself, despite everything he had been through. If she looked hard enough, she could still see the hurt in his eyes. She couldn’t imagine what he had to go through, being the victim of false accusations.

Seeing Akira like this gave her strength. He had been fighting for her since the day they met, and the students of Shujin ever since he had heard about Kamoshida. Next to Akira was Akechi, who at first said he would be fine taking the picture, but Sumire wasn’t about to allow that. After enough nagging, they persuaded him to join them. He had a stoic expression but Sumire thought she could see the faint glint of a smile. 

Afternoon class was going well for Sumire. She was pretty popular in her class, and people would always ask her questions about how she kept fit and her gymnastics routines. She started to write her notes when she heard the buzzing of the intercom.

_ Sumire Yoshizawa to the PE faculty office, Sumire Yoshizawa to the PE faculty office. _

The only noise heard in the classroom was the sound of Sumire’s pen dropping. This wasn’t how the plan was supposed to go. She rose from her desk and walked towards the door. It was almost like her legs were controlling themselves, moving her to a destination she wanted no part of. Her brain started to scramble for thoughts, anything that could turn this situation in her favour. 

She thought to call Akira, but it was likely he wouldn’t be able to get there in time to help her. She had heard whispers from the boys in her class that Kamoshida did not seem happy during their PE lesson today. She flinched at the thought of what he might do to her. She needed to compose herself, after all she was sure Akira and Akechi were going to help.

Walking down the steps, she adjusted her bag as she gulped. She was terrified, but told herself that this was for the greater good. Every step closer to those towering doors felt like she was shuffling ever closer to her demise. She wondered if she could’ve just ran home, but then she would be failing herself. She couldn’t be like the others, who only cared about herself.

_ Knock, Knock. _

Her stomach churned. This was it, she had played her part. Even though it wasn’t sticking to the plan that they had all made, she had to leave it in the hands of Akira and Akechi.

* * *

The last thing Akira wanted to do was spend time studying in the library. His friend was in danger. He kept his head down while he walked to the library with Makoto. He had to find an excuse to get out of this. While he could always run, there is no saying what could happen to him. One of the conditions of his probation was to behave in school, and he could be in real trouble if he ignored this. 

He had conflicting thoughts. Wasn’t this what he was fighting for all along? People could call him a delinquent, or a criminal all they wanted, but at the end of the day he was doing this for those around him. On the other hand, unless he could reason with Makoto in any way, it was likely that he would be there for awhile which could jeopardise Sumire’s safety.

Makoto turned to Akira and smiled.

“I told the soccer club that you wouldn’t be attending practice today.” It was something about her smile that irked Akira to no end. It reminded him of the betrayal. She always seemed so smug, like she was above everyone else. “What do you want to study today?” she asked him as they made their way to an empty table.

Akira didn’t reply. He took off his glasses and laid them on the table. It was the first time he had taken them off in Shujin, as he wanted to ensure he didn’t attract any trouble. He didn’t take out any books, and instead pulled out his phone. He had received a text from Akechi.

**Akechi:**

I am at the address. No signs yet.

**Akira:**

Okay, I’m still in the library. Will try to get there soon. Keep me updated. 

Akira put his phone back in his pocket. He looked at Makoto, who seemed visibly annoyed.

“Who was that?” She asked, but it sounded more like she was trying to order him around. “Your life would be a lot easier if you just kept to your own business, you know?” Akira started to feel agitated, what would she know about his current position?

“Okay.” Akira felt like he had to say something to her, otherwise it would just make her more angry. Unfortunately for him, it had seemed he said the wrong thing.

“I can easily get you kicked out from this school, you know? It will be as easy as a quick word with the principal.” Was she threatening him? This irked Akira even more, to the point where he was inclined to respond.

“Would that make you feel better?” He asked her. It seemed to Akira that she wasn’t expecting an answer. She looked flustered and began to study. The fact that he couldn’t help out made Akira extremely restless, so he resorted to tapping his foot on the floor, much to Makoto’s dismay. What if something happened to Sumire and he wasn’t there for her? The possibility was way too distracting for him to even think about his studies. 

* * *

“Enter.” was what Sumire heard as she knocked on the door. As she slid open the doors, she walked in to see Kamoshida. It took one look at his face to confirm the whispers she had heard from her classmates. He was extremely angry. Sumire’s legs grew weak as she saw him approach her.

“Your stupid bitch of a sister decided recently that she didn’t want to see me anymore. Isn’t that just a shame?” Sumire cringed as she looked at Kamoshida. He was a tower of a man compared to anyone she had seen. “Well, I can’t go without seeing at least one of the Yoshizawa twins, so looks like you will be playing with me tonight.” Sumire cringed at how vulgar he was, but she had to go along with the plan. No matter how hard it got, she had to remind herself that it was for the better.

“We shouldn’t do this here, maybe… somewhere else?” She shuddered, clenching her teeth.

“You should’ve been this way from the start, and things wouldn’t have been so difficult. Let’s go to my place.” 

There was certainly no going back now.

\----

Akira was growing ever more restless. He wasn’t even intending to open a book, let alone study. He looked out of the window. Rain. He hadn’t brung a coat, but that too wasn’t a concern for him. 

Makoto had been hard at work studying, and Akira had wondered if he could just sneak out without being caught. He sighed and grabbed his bag. Makoto glared at him, her eyes like laser beams. Akira’s phone began to vibrate so he pulled it out. Akechi was calling him. He looked over to Makoto.

“Go ahead.”

He answered the call to hear Akechi speaking.

“Sumire has informed me that she is currently on her way to the suspect’s house. Are you still in the library?” Akira grunted in the hope of not giving anything away. “Very well. Do try and ensure that you arrive here as soon as you can.” 

“Was that Goro Akechi I just heard?” Makoto asked Akira. He was getting tired of her constant probing, and it really started to wear down on him. He decided to remain silent and turn away from her, and head towards the exit. If his friends managed to remain safe, then he would take any consequences sent his way. Makoto noticed that he was leaving, and looked towards him.

“You’re just going to leave? I’m sure the principal will have something to say about that.” She said to him, matter-of-factly. That was all Akira needed to hear.

“I’m doing what you should have done a long time ago. You say you are the student council president, but you are too spineless to protect those who you represent.” He turned to her, scowling. “You put the student body at risk, just so you could get a letter of recommendation.” He turned away from Makoto and made his way through the library door. His only concern was ensuring his friends would be safe.

He turned his map app on, and raced through the halls to reach the exit. Makoto had wasted a lot of his time, so he didn’t know what would happen to Sumire. Judging by his map app, it would take about 10 minutes if he were to run. That was too long, but he had no choice. 

Racing down the entrance steps he took a sharp turn and darted down the road. It was rush hour, meaning Akira had to be extra careful of busy workers. The rain was lashing down on his face and onto his glasses. He couldn’t afford to have his vision impaired so he took them off and put them in his blazer pocket. His thick nest of hair was holding a lot of water, but he couldn’t stop.

Turning the corner, he continued to run. He wasn’t athletic by any stretch of the imagination, but just the thought of seeing his friends hurt gave him enough adrenaline to carry on. His feet were soaking wet and every step he took gave an audible squelch. He pulled out his phone to check how long he had left. Once he dried off the screen he saw that he was almost there. 

Apologising to a man he had bumped into, he carried on running. There was just one more corner to take, and that bastard’s house was at the end of a long road. He had never ran so fast before, and it was beginning to take a toll on Akira. It was tough, but he was so close. The last corner threw him off balance and he slipped. Falling on his back, he could feel the air from his lungs being pushed out. His school uniform was not only incredibly wet, but it was extremely dirty. He sat up, desperately trying to catch his breath. His vision grew blurred as the rain continued relentlessly.

_ Why didn’t you save me? Was this what I deserved? _

He clenched his fists. He couldn’t give up now, not when he was so close. His panting accelerated as he desperately tried to get air back into his lungs. A simple slip wouldn’t be able to stop him. He stood up and began walking down the road. As he felt his breath returning, he began to pick up the pace. The only remnants of his slip were an extreme headache and dirty clothes, but that wasn’t about to stop him.

He had finally reached the address on the map but Akechi was nowhere to be found. Akira looked at the house to see an empty driveway. Was he too late? Akira hunched over to try and catch his breath. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

“You could’ve told me you were coming, you know.” Akira turned around to see Akechi. “You seem a little worse for wear. Let me guess, you ran here?” Akechi was standing under an umbrella. 

“I-I couldn’t just…” Akira was still short of breath. “I couldn’t just… sit there… especially… especially when…” Akechi looked over to him.

“I knew you would let your emotions get the better of you. Do you not remember what I told you before?” Akechi looked over to Akira, who was still struggling for breath. “Luckily for you I brought another.” He passed Akira an umbrella.

Akira opened it up and stood alongside Akechi. There was a group of trees close to Kamoshida’s house, and provided a suitable look out spot. Akechi turned to Akira and looked at his uniform, covered in mud. “You’re an idiot.” 

Before Akira could retort with something witty, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway alerted the two. They both hid behind a tree, making sure to keep a close eye on the situation. Kamoshida got out of the car first, and Akechi quickly took this time to call Sumire.

It kept ringing, and Akechi grew agitated. “Answer, damn it!” After a few more rings Sumire had picked up the phone.

“We’re outside, just stay calm and say ‘I’d like some takoyaki please’ if you are in danger. We’ll notify the police and try to help you. Stay on the call so I can record it.”

Sumire put her phone in her blazer pocket, ensuring the speaker was facing up and walked into the house alongside Kamoshida. Akira was getting fidgety, he was trying not to imagine what would happen in there. The rain wasn’t letting up, and the sun was beginning to set. It was finally time for the plan to be put in motion.

Akira and Akechi kept huddled between the phone as they tried to listen in on the audio coming through.

“I kind of like it when you are like this, Sumire…” Kamoshida said to Sumire. This made Akira want to puke. But he couldn’t say anything without risking their cover.

The audio wasn’t great but they could still make out Sumire’s deflection of Kamoshida’s various attempts to make a move on her. It sickened Akira that someone in a position of power would be totally fine with doing this, but what was even more heinous to him was that the school administration was totally aware of this, but didn’t even bat an eyelid. Everyone at the top only cared about themselves.

“Come on Sumire… All you have to do is follow my orders and I will ensure that you and your sister can become professional athletes.” Kamoshida barked. 

“I can do that on my own.” Sumire replied.

“You think so? I hold a lot of power in the sporting world, I can make a call right now, and your career will be over.” he said with the smug tone he gave when he seriously injured Ryuji. “Or better yet, it would be an awful shame if you had a career ending injury wouldn’t it?”

Those words did not sit well with Akira. After all, it was actions like that which had led Ryuji to not be able to pursue his dream, and the same was going to happen to Sumire. He needed to do something to help, but there was no way he could without blowing the cover. The two continued to argue with each other until there was radio silence. Fearing the worst, Akira began to sweat. Did they mess up somehow? For one, Akira would be forced to go to juvenile hall for violating his probation order. It was bad enough that his parents didn’t seem to care about him, but the thought of sitting alone in a cell to fester away made him feel sick. That wasn’t even the worst thought that came to his head. What of his friends? Ryuji would be forced to go back to the same school with the teacher that ruined his future. Shiho and Mishima would also be in danger from him. If Akechi was to be found with him, how would that affect his popularity? Would he still be a detective prince?

And then there were the twins. They had an extremely bright future ahead of them, and it was about to be ruined by that bastard. He had to do something but what could he do in that situation. That’s when he heard a scream that he knew would stick with him forever.

Sumire sounded like she was in desperate need of help, and Akira couldn’t sit idly by anymore.

“SUMIRE!!!!!!!” Akira shouted at the top of his lungs. He would break down the door if he had to, he needed to stop Kamoshida.

“You IDIOT!” Akechi roared as he looked towards Akira. Akira had sacrificed the integrity of their whole operation, and now Sumire’s safety was in danger.

“Who’s there?!” Kamoshida roared. “Oh, so this is how it is Sumire? You were trying to catch me in the act were you? I was wondering why you seemed so eager back in the school.” Akira felt his chest tighten, he needed to get into the house and save Sumire. He turned to Akechi.

“You need to call the police.” He said in an assertive tone. Akechi looked back at him, he had a look of pure anger on his face. “What are you waiting for? She is in danger! DO IT!” Akira had never felt so livid in his life. Akechi seemed to get the message and dialed for the police.

Akira’s legs moved by themselves as he ran towards the front door. He slammed his fists on the door. He could hear the sound of Sumire pleading with Kamoshida to leave her alone. His fist slams became shoulder barges as he desperately tried his hardest to get the door open to save her. Sumire continued to beg, almost like her life depended on it. He slammed the door as hard as he could, and even Akechi began trying to get the door open.

With the sound of breaking glass, Sumire’s screams and pleads began to get quieter...


	25. Chapter 25

Akira became frantic. He heard glass shatter and Sumire became silent. He had no time to think about anything else but Sumire’s safety. He kicked at the door with all his force but it still wouldn’t budge. Akechi surveyed his surroundings and found a brick. He was prepared to throw it through a window in an attempt to save Sumire. Just as he was about to launch it, he heard sirens. He dropped the brick and ran over to the police officer. He immediately recognised Akechi.

“What happened here, Akechi?” The officer asked.

“I have severe concern for the safety of a young woman in that house. She seems to have been abused.” Akechi told the officer.

“I will have to take the two of you in for questioning, is that okay?” Akira said nothing and kept his head down.”

“Understood.” Akechi said, as he looked towards a group of police officers who had surrounded the house. One of them kicked the door open and they all poured in. Akira held his breath, he wished that Sumire would walk out of the house totally unscathed, but that wasn’t likely to happen. Multiple police officers came out of the house, and Kamoshida was in handcuffs. He had tears in his eyes.

“I haven’t done anything!” He roared as he tried to escape. He was sent away in a police car. Another officer came out of the building and shouted over to the three.

“We are going to need an ambulance, there’s someone here who isn’t responding.” Those words made Akira’s chest tighten. She was okay, wasn’t she? She must have been knocked out is what Akira told himself. There was no way she would be dead.

It didn’t take long for an ambulance to come, and Akira rushed over to see Sumire on a stretcher. He tried to call out for her, but there was no response. Akira knew Sumire wouldn’t give up that easily, but he was forced to watch as she was put in the back of the ambulance. It wasn't long for the two to also be in the back of the police car, and Akira spent the whole journey worrying about what this would mean for his probation. Did he do something wrong? He couldn't have, because as far as he was aware, he had just got a criminal arrested and that wasn't a bad thing. 

Akechi had stayed similarly silent, but he seemed calm about this. Maybe he was thinking that he could use his position to get the two out of this? Or maybe he didn't think they were in trouble at all.

Akira and Akechi were led into the train station, and walked to the main desk.

'I'm bringing these two in for questioning. Goro Akechi and…" The police officer looked towards Akira. Maybe he could use a fake name so this wouldn't affect his probation. On the other hand, if he was to do that and get caught it was likely he would get into a lot of trouble.

"Akira Kurusu." Akira said solemnly, while keeping his head down. 

The police officer directed them to a dimly lit room, with a single flickering light bulb hanging over a wooden table.

"Take a seat, someone will be with you shortly."

Akira and Akechi took a seat, and looked towards each other.

"You don't have to look so nervous, you know." Akechi said to him.

"I know, it's just a place like this that gives me bad memories…" Akira had been in a similar situation before, after defending that woman from that horrible man, he was sent to a police station for questioning. 

It was in a room similar to this, and someone had come to question him. Well, to him it was more like an interrogation where he was considered guilty before he had even spoken. He tried to explain his side of the story but was branded a thug by the police officer and put in a cell before his parents picked him up. He wasn’t given the light of day there, so why would anything be different here?

A man came back with a file, and Akira gulped. It was probably his record, meaning that he was sure to go to juvenile hall. He flicked it open and then looked to Akira.

“Assault? Colour me surprised.” He said plainly. “Why are you so dirty anyway? I know the weather is bad but why the mud?” He looked Akira up and down, his blazer was covered in mud.

“I fell over on the way to the scene.” Akira said plainly. He cringed internally as he realised it didn’t exactly sound believable. The man looked at him suspiciously, and continued.

“Anyway, recount your turn of events.” Akira wasn’t sure if he was supposed to tell the man that it was all a plan or not. 

“It’s a long story, but it all started when we got a phone call from our friend. They were in danger so we came to help.” Akechi said, his countenance was unwavered. Akira noted that it was almost like he was born to do something like this. “I can only assume that the suspect found out that she was on the phone to someone.”

“I tried to get into the house, because I could hear screaming.” Akira continued on from Akechi. “That’s when we called the police.” 

“Very well. You are free to go.” Akira had to do a double take after he heard that. Was he serious? 

Akechi motioned to Akira to get going and the two left the police station. Akira turned to Akechi, a confused look on his face.

“How did we just get out of that?” Akira asked Akechi. Akechi seemed as confused as Akira. 

“What do you mean? We are witnesses, not suspects.” He said to Akira. “By the way, you should really wash your clothes, and yourself.” Akira exhaled. Akechi always said it how it was.

“Should we visit Sumire tomorrow?” Akira asked Akechi. “I really hope she’s okay.” Akira kept his head down. He knew that it was his fault, and he was sure Akechi thought the same.

“I think we should.” Akechi replied. “Let’s meet at the hospital tomorrow, after you come home from school. Akira nodded, and they both went their separate ways.

* * *

Akira had arrived back at Yongen-Jaya, and that was when the reality of his situation hit him. Not only was it extremely late and Sojiro would likely be extremely angry with him, but there was also the fact he walked out from Makoto’s study session. He knew that the repercussions could be serious, but with any luck, news of Kamoshida being arrested would be more important to the administration, and he could just slip through the cracks.

He walked back to Leblanc, and gulped once he saw the light was on. He sheepishly opened the door, and saw Sojiro filling out a crossword. The bell notified Sojiro that Akira had made his way home, and Akira looked at him.

“What time do you call this?! I do have business to attend to, I cannot afford to keep waiting for you to arrive at god knows what time.” Sojiro roared. He looked Akira up and down and scowled. “Don’t expect me to do your laundry. You can use the laundromat next to the bathhouse.” He went and walked towards the door. “I’m very close to kicking you out. Make sure you behave at school, otherwise I won’t hesitate to hand you over to the police.” He locked the door and left Akira alone.

Akira was tired from today, but he had no choice but to wash his school uniform. Dragging himself up to the attic, he put on his casual clothes and headed to the laundromat. The evening air was crisp, and Akira could definitely feel it. The laundromat was small, and only had a tiny seating area. He put his clothes in the washing machine and headed into the bathhouse, heeding Akechi’s earlier comment.

It wasn’t busy in the bathhouse, much to Akira’s delight. He would only be in there for a short while anyway, just to freshen up. He sat in the bath, letting the warm water submerge his body. It was definitely what he needed after such a hectic day. His relaxation, however, was interrupted as he replayed the events of today in his head.

It was going well for the three, they just had to wait for the right moment to strike. All Akira had to do was stay silent. However, once he heard Sumire was in trouble, he foolishly screamed her name which alerted Kamoshida of their presence. He had compromised her safety, and his actions led to her visiting the hospital. It was all his fault. He would definitely apologise to her when he visited the hospital tomorrow, and deliver the great news to her.

Kamoshida was arrested, and hopefully he would rot in prison for a very long time.

Deciding to check his clothes, he paid for his bath and went back to the laundromat. His clothes had been washed, so he put them in the dryer and took a seat. He felt like the day had been going on forever, so took out his phone to check the time.

9:39. He was surprised by how early it actually was. Today seemed to drag on, and all he wanted to do was go to bed. He sat back and wondered how the school would react to the news. They all knew he was snooping about when it came to Kamoshida? Would this finally mean that maybe he would get a little respect? He knew what he was asking could be considered selfish, but he just wanted this year to go smoothly. Hopefully the three could put this behind them and just enjoy themselves. 

He slumped back in his chair. He just wanted to get some sleep. He checked his clothes, and they were slightly damp, but overnight they should be able to dry out he told himself as an excuse to get some sleep. He took his clothes and walked out of the laundromat, and back to Leblanc.

He put his clothes on the banister and walked towards his bed. He was sure that he was going to sleep like a log tonight

* * *

**Tuesday 26th April, 2016**

Makoto Niijima was used to her student council president duties by now, except for one. She had to be in the school at the same time as the teachers, and this meant an early wake up. Everyone in her family were early risers, and both Sae and her father would be gone before she had even woken up.

Today, it was especially hard. Akira had said some very hurtful things to her, and she had spent the night mulling over them. Was she really spineless like he said? What did he mean when he said she wasn’t ‘protecting the student body?’

Makoto shook her head. She had to become successful, to be like her sister and father. She wouldn’t let some matter at school get to her. She had a shower and made her way to the kitchen in order to prepare her lunch. She was very mindful of what she ate, so she always prepared a bento box to take with her for lunch. Today was no different, and once she finished placing the pickled vegetables, she put the box in her bag and headed to school.

Her commute was excruciating, she always had to travel during peak hours and this meant she hardly got a seat. Today seemed even worse for her. Her train had come unusually early, and she was close to missing it. She had even struggled to fit into the train with it being so packed.

She sighed as she kept her head down. She hoped this wouldn’t be a sign of things to come.

Once she reached Shujin Academy, she made her way to the Student Council room. It was there that she spent the majority of her time, going through what seemed to be like a mountain of administrative work. Sometimes she thought she did the most work out of anyone in the school.

Once she opened the door, she was greeted with a note on the table.

_ When you read this, please come to the principal’s office. _

She sometimes had progress meetings with the principal, but they were always planned out and didn’t have the sense of urgency this note was giving out. She made haste to the office, and knocked on the door. Once being allowed in, she was met with a panicked looking Kobayakawa.

“Makoto, we need to discuss an urgent matter.” He told her, beads of sweat dripping from his head.

“What is it?” Makoto asked, she hadn’t heard anything happen at the school, so what could be so important.

“Kamoshida was arrested at his house yesterday.” He told her. She looked surprised, and almost dropped the book she was holding. “He hasn’t been charged yet, but it is looking likely that he will. An unconscious Shujin Academy student was found in his house.” He continued.

Makoto gasped and put her hand on her mouth, was Kamoshida actually capable of that? Kobayakawa looked at her and continued. “Akira Kurusu was present on the scene, according to the police report.” After hearing this, Makoto took a step back. There was no way he could be solely responsible for all of this. Was that what he meant when he said he was going to do what she was supposed to do? “As far as the rest of the school is aware, he is ill, and you will also play along with this.”

Makoto didn’t want to play along with this to say the least, she thought that the student body deserved to know what happened. However, she knew that doing so would likely put her on bad terms with the principal. She had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

“Also, I thought you were told to study with Akira in order to prevent a situation like this?” Kobayakawa’s tone stiffened. Makoto gulped, she had let him go early the day prior.

“Y-yes… Please accept my apologies.” In all honesty, Makoto never thought Akira would go that far, so it was a surprise to see him involved with the arrest of the former PE teacher.

“Don’t slip up like this again, it would be a shame if you aren’t able to follow in your family’s footsteps.” Kobayakawa replied.

Makoto bowed and made her way out of the office. She wanted no part in this anymore, but she really had no choice.

* * *

Akira was not expecting the school atmosphere to be the way it was when he turned up to Shujin. To his surprise, it was normal. No one spoke about Kamoshida, except mentioning that it was weird that he was ill. Akira had to double take when he heard that the first time. Kamoshida was definitely not ill, and they wouldn’t be able to keep that excuse up for very long.

Akira spent the rest of the day itching to go to the hospital so he could apologise to Sumire. It must have been tough on her to be bait, and it wasn’t even the first time she was a victim to that horrible man. But it was okay now, he couldn’t wait to see the smile on her face when they found out the plan was a success. She was safe, and no more harm could come to her.

Once that final bell rang he wasted no time rushing to the hospital. He saw Makoto waiting outside of class 2-D but he really didn’t care. He had great news to deliver. 

He had met Akechi outside of the hospital, and was prepared to go in.

“I think you should apologise to her when you see her.” Akechi turned to him and told him sternly.

“Don’t worry, I plan to.” He replied as they walked to the reception area. Akira cleared his throat as the receptionist came towards him.

“Hello, i’m here to speak to Sumire Yoshizawa.” The receptionist looked at him and then walked out of the area.

Akira looked at Akechi with a confused look on his face. A doctor came out and looked at the two.

“Are you Sumire-kun’s friends?” He asked. The two nodded, and his face seemed to drop.

“I regret to inform you that Sumire didn’t make it past the night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone. I hope you are well, and that you enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> As a reminder, this fic will be on hiatus starting friday.
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated.


	26. Chapter 26

Those words echoed in Akira’s head. Didn’t make it? She died? There was no way that could have happened. He must have been in a dream. There was no way that the one of the people who had helped him settle into life in Tokyo was dead. Worst of all, he knew it was his own fault.

_ His own fault. _

Why was he such an idiot? She was dead because of him. It was heartbreaking that such a young talent had her life taken away from her extremely quickly. But most of all, it was his blunder that had cost her her life, and it was something he would have to live with. He could feel tears form at the side of his eyes. He recalled the many great moments he had spent with her, from eating burgers at Leblanc to having fun at the arcade. Sumire was his friend, and now she was gone.

“She had sustained injuries to the head, and we couldn’t keep her alive.” The doctor said, with his head down.

He recalled hearing the shatter of glass and then the slowly dimming pleads of Sumire. He must have hit her in the head with something, and that involved with all the other injuries Kamoshida had inflicted on her had caused her death. It still didn’t seem real though, he still expected to go to a room and see her smiling. He wanted the three to celebrate together, but to him, this didn’t even seem like a win.

Why did the world take someone who desired a just society? She didn’t do anything wrong, so why was her life forfeit? The stream of tears had begun for Akira. He was angry at society for doing this. That bastard Kamoshida would spend his life in prison, when he should be the one that was dead.

Akechi’s grunt broke him out of his thoughts. Akira looked towards him. He was extremely angry. This was the most emotion Akira had seen Akechi show and Akira knew that it was all genuine. He looked like he was ready to kill someone. 

“We’ll discuss this tomorrow after school. Meet me at Inokashira Park. Don’t even think about being late.”

That last sentence gave Akira chills. It was obvious that Akechi was seething, and they needed to discuss what happened. Akechi turned around and walked out of the revolving doors. This situation was a nightmare incarnate, and there was nothing that could make this any worse.

The trip home was a somber one, and Akira was struggling to come to terms with what happened. He had won, but at what cost? He thought back to the school. No one knew Kamoshida was arrested, they all thought he was just ill. That didn’t sit right with Akira, he had just saved the student body from a vile man and yet he was still being ostracised? It didn’t make sense to him.

Yongen-Jaya never felt more lonely. The small businesses usually added some charm to the place, but to him they weren’t anything. He didn’t care about anything. Not even the fact that he was late yet again. He walked in and headed towards the stairs. Sojiro had cleared his throat and walked towards him. Akira kept his head down as he faced Sojiro.

“I just received a phone call from the school. You’re letting your grades slip. Why is that?” Akira kept his head down, he knew what this was about. He didn’t see Makoto, and had been missing out on his homework, so Kawakami must have given Sojiro a phone call.

Akira just ignored him, which did nothing but annoy Sojiro more. “Well? Answer me!” Sojiro seemed even more angry, which still didn’t phase Akira. He thought he had better say something, before this escalated.

“There were more important things I had to focus on.” He said with no expression. Faint memories of the hospital hit Akira and his stomach began to churn.

“What do you mean more important?! Do you not realise the situation you are in?” He was even more angry now and Akira was beginning to feel unnerved. “I take you in, and this is how you repay my kindness? Are you being serious?!”

Akira grunted, and slammed his fist against the wall.

“You have no idea what just happened to me. I am in no mood to continue arguing about things which don’t matter to me.” Sojiro seemed a little surprised at what Akira did, but he was still visibly angry.

“I don’t care what happened to you. You were told to behave, and you aren’t. Did you forget what I told you? That you were on your last chance?” Akira thought this would turn into a shouting match very soon.

“I don’t care what happens to me anymore, i’ll go to juvenile hall.” Akira believed what he was saying, after all he didn’t want to live in this rotten city anymore. Akira looked at Sojiro, his eyes red from continuous crying. Sojiro’s expression seemed to soften a bit after seeing Akira’s face.

“Kid… You need to focus on school. I can’t afford to keep you here if you keep misbehaving. Take this as a final warning. Any big incident happens with you and i’ll be in talks with your probation officer. Understood?” Sojiro’s voice was a lot softer now.

Akira just nodded and headed to the attic. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep, but he needed to.

* * *

**Wednesday, 27th April 2016**

It was a long night for Akira, and it was exacerbated by the fact that he couldn’t get any sleep. Tossing and turning was a major fixture in his night as he tried his hardest to settle down. 

The ray of sunshine hitting his face was not welcome in the slightest, and he groaned as he got out to bed. Going to school was going to feel extremely different for him. 

After getting ready, he left Leblanc and walked towards the train station. Everything felt weird to him, how could society just function like nothing happened? Sumire was  _ dead.  _ Seeing the faces of people enjoying their day put him in an extremely sour mood. Why should they feel happy, when he couldn’t? He was still believing he was in some foul dream, and at any moment he would awake, and the three would be able to celebrate.

The train journey was particularly awful for Akira today. It was almost like he was hyper aware of everything going on around him - the noise of the commuters almost driving him up the wall.

He didn’t have much energy, and he had to sustain himself for the entire school day, not to mention a meeting with Akechi after school. Homeroom was a struggle for him, considering Kawakami had sold him out. He thought she was just as responsible as him for the death of Sumire, considering she didn’t help when she had the chance to. Akira could clearly remember her swatting away his concerns. She seemed slightly different today, almost like she had seen a ghost. It was often that she had a disinterested expression, but something was off about her.

Lunchtime seemed even more lonelier than usual, as Akira sat on the floor in one of the many hallways of Shujin Academy. He was usually heckled when he visited the cafeteria, and today he didn’t think he would be able to stomach the insults thrown his way. He opened his bag, wishing some food would materialise there and then but of course he had no lunch. His head was hurting, and he just wanted to sleep. He headed to a vending machine, and picked a bottle of water. He took a sip and turned around. He was met with a pair of angry brown eyes. It was Kasumi, and she didn’t look happy.

Akira gulped as the realisation hit him. She was likely there in the hospital when her sister died, and it must have hurt her a lot. The thought that really knocked the wind out of his sails was what if Kasumi thought it was his fault?

“Ah, Kasumi…” Akira said as he kept his head down.

“I need a word.” She said, as she dragged him towards the entrance of the school. They both went down the steps to the school and they chose a nearby alleyway to talk.

Akira looked at her, she was visibly angry. He decided to keep his distance just in case.

“You killed her, it’s all your fault.” Her anger turned to sadness. Akira was surprised at how direct she was, and he was scrambling for an answer. “I told you to keep her out of this, and now she is gone.” tears began to form in the corner of her eyes.

Akira knew she wanted to be a part of this, but he wasn’t comfortable with her playing the role of bait. He knew he should have been more vocal about his concerns, but she genuinely wanted to help, and Akira wasn’t going to stop her if that was what she wanted. 

“I didn’t kill her.” He tried to remain calm, but when the subject shifted to the incident on Monday he struggled to stay calm.

“You let her join in on your plan knowing full well what could have happened. You’re a murderer.” She replied. A murderer? There was no way he could be a murderer. A sharp pain went through Akira’s head as he remembered blowing their cover. Was he a murderer because of the mistake he made?

“She really wanted a part to play in this. I tried to stop her, I really did.” Akira’s voice cracked. He couldn’t help but get emotional after all that happened. Kasumi looked at him. 

“I doubt that very much. I don’t know what you did to her to make her want to hang out with a criminal, but it led to her death. Are you happy now?” Happy? How could he be happy when one of his friends had died? How dare she say something like that? He had to stand by powerlessly as his friend got abused and murdered.

He couldn’t snap at her though, he knew she must be suffering a lot. They were originally very close, before that bastard got her hands on Kasumi. Having your sister taken away from you must have been tough. But he wasn’t a murderer like she said he was. Or was he? Did he really commit a crime this time? 

“How can I be happy when one of my friends is dead?” He said to her, a tinge of sadness ever present in his voice. He wanted to get off this ride, after all he wasn’t enjoying it in the slightest.

“Ha, ‘friend’? If you really cared for her like you said you do, then you wouldn’t have let her take part, would you?” Was she really questioning their friendship? Akira kept his head down, the previous statement made by Kasumi angered him. He wanted to be there when they both reached the top of the gymnastics world.

He had heard enough, and walked away. He wasn’t comfortable staying there while she did nothing but insinuate that he didn’t care about her. There had never been a more false statement. 

He walked back into his class and sat down, resting his head. He couldn’t be a murderer. 

After afternoon class had finished, Akira took a deep breath and headed towards the train station. He had to meet Akechi at Inokashira Park to discuss what had happened. 

The train to Shibuya was exceptionally noisy, and Akira’s mood soured. Maybe it was because he didn’t have anything to eat, but he was feeling exceptionally irritable. The chatter made him want to shout, but he didn’t have the energy to do so. 

Once he got to Shibuya, he headed to 777 and grabbed some snacks. The worker noticed him as he went to pay. It was the girl who was working with him on his first day. 

“Oh, Kurusu-kun! Are you here to work today?” She asked him. He needed some more money, so he was planning to work soon, but it wasn’t going to be today.

The way to Inokashira Park was a scenic one, and was a stark difference to how the rest of Shibuya was laid out. If Shibuya was a concrete jungle then the park was like an actual jungle. As he walked down the steps to the main area, he was surprised that two areas that were so different were actually in the same place. 

He found this place relaxing, the sound of the nearby river was a welcome callback to his hometown. He walked down the path, expecting to see the familiar beige blazer that Akechi often wore. He kept walking until he was met with that sight. 

Akechi didn't seem happy to see Akira, or maybe he too felt genuinely bad about yesterday's events. It wasn’t like Akechi to show much emotion though, so this was a genuine surprise for Akira.

“We need to have an urgent discussion about what happened.” Akechi said, balling his fists.

“I agree.” Akira replied. Something went very wrong during the plan, and they needed to discuss that. “I can’t help… but feel I was partially to blame for this.

“I suppose you could say that.” Akechi looked at him. “After all, your tomfoolery during our plan did alert Kamoshida of our presence.”

“I knew it… I’m a murderer, Akechi…” Akira looked at Akechi, with tears falling from his cheeks.

“A murderer? Don’t make me laugh. You didn’t kill her, it was that total scum of a PE teacher.” Akechi’s tone grew rougher. “I want to kill that man, rip him limb from limb if I could.” Akira was surprised at Akechi’s outburst, but in the grand scheme of things Akira wished he had the opportunity to do the same thing.

Sumire had been stolen from the world, and Akira didn’t know how to cope.

“Akechi… tell me how… how to move on from this.” Akira asked Akechi. Akechi seemed taken aback by the sudden request, it seemed that he was genuinely lost for words.

“Move on? I don’t have an answer for that.” He said, looking towards the cherry blossoms.

“All I know is that it isn’t our fault for her death, and it’s okay for us not to move on from this straight away. Even I feel some guilt for my part in this.” he continued.

“But she is gone, Akechi. Her life didn’t deserve to be taken away.” Akira pleaded.

“I know. Society isn’t always just, but we can’t bring her back. This is what she wanted, right? Thanks to our actions, the students of Shujin are safe now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter before I take a break.
> 
> I hope you have enjoyed what you have seen so far!
> 
> Take care of yourselves!


	27. Question

Would anyone be interested in a continuation or rewrite of this?

If there is some demand I might consider coming back to this project. 

I hope that these last few months have been treating you well! 


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